demo

1 of 6

noun (1)

plural demos
1
2
a
: an example of a product that is not yet ready to be sold
a demo version of the software
b
: a recording intended to show off a song or performer to a record producer

demo

2 of 6

verb (1)

demoed also demo'd; demoing also demo'ing; demos

transitive verb

1
: to give a demonstration of (something, such as a product or procedure) : to show how (something) works, is prepared, or is done
The chef demoed everything. His first demo was peeling a carrot.Michael Ruhlman
One dealer didn't even have demonstration software; the only thing he could demo was the power light.Video Magazine
2
: to create a demo (see demo entry 1 sense 2b) recording of (a piece of music)
… spent three months rehearsing and demoing songs for their third album …David Fricke
3
: to use (something, such as a product) in order to test its quality or value : to try out (something)
The surest way to pick exactly the right ski for your needs is to first narrow your choices to a workable number … and then go out and demo three or four pairs to make your final selection.Bill Grout

demo

3 of 6

verb (2)

demoed also demo'd; demoing also demo'ing; demos

transitive verb

: demolish
Brick salvaged from a demoed fireplace and backyard path make up the new stoop and walkway.Natalie Rodriguez
My mom put little masks on me and my brother, gave us goggles and crowbars, and we demo'd the walls.Matt Damon

demo

4 of 6

noun (2)

plural demos

Demo

5 of 6

noun (3)

plural Demos

demo-

6 of 6

combining form

variants or before vowels dem-
: people : populace : population
demography
demonym

Examples of demo in a Sentence

Noun (1) She will be showing a demo of the company's new alarm system. a demo version of the software I saw a demo on how to use the computer program. The salesman gave us a demo of the vacuum cleaner, and it seemed to work very well. They sent the demo to several record companies. She cut a demo last week.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Much of the 17 hours on the retreat was devoted to the demo, which included enough steel guitar and Dobro to insert a little Western flare into the mysterious sound. Tom Roland, Billboard, 6 Mar. 2024 This best-selling model has 200 tones, 200 rhythms, 40 demos, a stand for sheet music, and more. Katrina Cossey, Parents, 1 Mar. 2024 Evil felt like it was structured well for broadcast, but might have been too twisted for CBS’ target demo, hence its jump to streaming. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 Learn more and inquire about accessing a demo of the product here. William Earl, Variety, 29 Feb. 2024 The first demo was a Giga-MIMO prototype showing the Giga-MIMO antenna array operating in the 13 GHz band with 4096 antenna elements. Anshel Sag, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The report suggests that there’s a lot of internal pressure at Meta to have a high-quality demo and that some company insiders have been experimenting with advanced prototypes. Victoria Song, The Verge, 27 Feb. 2024 The group recorded a demo that caught the ear of Jack Clement, a producer and engineer at Sun who was recruiting musicians for the band of the rockabilly singer Billy Lee Riley. Bill Friskics-Warren, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024 There's a way to experience this revolutionary piece of technology without opening your wallet – by scheduling a demo at an Apple Store. Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 19 Feb. 2024
Verb
The team plans to demo the concept later this decade. Ramin Skibba, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2023 Last fall, Samsung Display and Intel demoed a PC concept that was essentially a 13-inch tablet that could slide out into a 17.3-inch one. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2023 Meander about and enjoy meeting founders walking the aisles hawking their wares like Forbes 30 Under 30 Kyiv entrepreneur Victoria Repa who will be on hand to demo her personal coaching wearable, BetterMe. Martine Paris, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2023 Some lamented the lack of live features demoed at the launch and offered rolling commentary on Baidu’s falling stock price as the demonstration continued. Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2023 Apple uses an iPhone 14 Pro to demo the feature. Chris Smith, BGR, 11 Nov. 2022 Simpson will demo in oils at 7 p.m. courant.com, 2 Nov. 2021 Video content empowers them to see how clothes and accessories look from all angles or how to apply a beauty or wellness product, make the recipe, set up an electronic device or demo a new product in a short, digestible way. Rodney Mason, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023 The Verge revealed last month that Microsoft was planning an AI event in March to demo how its new ChatGPT-like AI will transform its Office productivity apps. Tom Warren, The Verge, 6 Mar. 2023
Verb
Citing unnamed Meta sources, a Business Insider report claims that the company plans to demo a pair of true AR smart glasses later this fall at Meta Connect. Victoria Song, The Verge, 27 Feb. 2024 The convergence of wearable technology, textile innovation, and medical research is poised to demo clothing that goes beyond mere fashion. Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2024 Enlarge / Amazon demoed future generative AI capabilties for Alexa in September. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 18 Jan. 2024 The band demoed songs in 2020 with engineer Brok Mende, but were forced to put their plans on hold during the pandemic. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 9 Jan. 2024 Today, Hsu will demo a storytelling game between person and machine. Kat McGowan, WIRED, 4 Jan. 2024 Google reportedly demoed an AI tool called Genesis that takes facts and spits out news stories to executives from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Emilia David, The Verge, 4 Jan. 2024 The concept shown this week differs slightly from the concept demoed at Lenovo Tech World '16 in that it can be arched or bent into an upright position. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 25 Oct. 2023 To demo the active air suspension, Porsche created an app that uses a phone's tilt sensors. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

by shortening from demonstration or demonstrator

Verb (1)

verbal derivative of demo entry 1

Verb (2)

by shortening

Noun (2)

by shortening

Noun (3)

by shortening

Combining form

combining form from Greek dêmos "district, country, people, common people, political district in Attica," of uncertain origin

Note: Greek dêmos has traditionally been linked with Old Irish dám "guests, company, retinue," Old Welsh dauu, glossing Latin cliens (hence, presumably, "member of a retinue"), Modern Welsh daw, dawf "son-in-law." However, the semantic discrepancy between the two etyma is significant, and Celtic *dāmo-/*dāmā- has more recently been explained as going back to *dōmo-, a lengthened-grade adjectival derivative of Indo-European *dom-o-s, "house, household." The further traditional link with Indo-European *deh2- "cut, divide" (whence Greek daíomai, daíesthai "to divide"; cf. tide entry 1), assuming a noun *deh2-mos meaning originally "part, division," is still possible, though it would be deprived of any support beside Greek.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1904, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb (1)

1969, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1994, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1980, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1793, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of demo was in 1793

Dictionary Entries Near demo

Demo

demo

demo-

Cite this Entry

“Demo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demo. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

demo

noun
plural demos

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