demo

noun

\ ˈde-(ˌ)mō

plural demos

Definition of demo

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 capitalized : democrat sense 2

2a : demonstration sense 1b

b British : demonstration sense 4

3a : demonstrator sense a

b : a recording intended to show off a song or performer to a record producer

c : an example of a product that is not yet ready to be sold a demo version of the software

4 : demographic sense 2

demo

verb

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

Definition of demo (Entry 2 of 3)

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

3 : to create a demo (see demo entry 1 sense 3b) recording of (a piece of music) … spent three months rehearsing and demoing songs for their third album …— David Fricke

4 : 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-

combining form

variants: or before vowels dem-

Definition of demo- (Entry 3 of 3)

: people : populace : population demography demonym

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about demo

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Examples of demo in a Sentence

Noun

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

Musk put his own Tesla convertible on last year’s demo. — Marcia Dunn, The Seattle Times, "SpaceX launches mega rocket, lands all 3 boosters," 14 Apr. 2019 The long-lasting customizable inserts are installed by a professional right over your existing bathtub and tile, so there’s no serious demo required. — The Good Housekeeping Institute, Good Housekeeping, "GH Seal Spotlight: Bath Planet by BCI," 5 Apr. 2019 In one early demo of the Reach platform, de la Peña and her team captured a landscape in Utah canyon country, a lot of sandstone and open sky. — Ryan Bradley, WSJ, "How Nonny de la Peña, the “Godmother of VR,” Is Changing the Mediascape," 3 Nov. 2018 And while some assembly and tools are required, just think of it as an authentic Fixer Upper experience (minus the demo day). — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, "Joanna Gaines' New Dollhouse Will Be Target's Most Popular Christmas Gift This Year," 1 Nov. 2018 The problem isn’t lack of a market for smart clothes for women of any age, but that designers and brands can be reluctant to admit the over-35 demo represents most of their clientele. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "In the Year of the Runway Zaddy, Where Are the MILFs?," 4 Feb. 2019 The safety demo is also a good reminder of how to do the brace position. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "10 Tips on How to Survive a Plane Crash (Although They're Really Rare)," 13 Oct. 2018 Volvo Trucks shows off its platooning trucks during a demo in North Carolina. — Aarian Marshall, WIRED, "This Week in the Future of Cars: Unconventional Wisdom," 1 July 2018 But that doesn't mean the demo-loving dude has no opinions on how things should look. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, "Joanna Gaines Reveals the One Thing Chip Asked for When They Bought Their Farmhouse," 27 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In my brief time demoing an early prototype at E3, the whole thing seemed sturdy enough, if a little tough to use since the controllers are a bit smaller than actual arcade controls. — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "Nyko’s $20 cardboard arcade for the Switch looks to trade on the Labo’s success," 14 June 2018 Command and Conquer, once again Perhaps the weirdest part of this year's E3 was when EA took the stage to demo Command & Conquer: Rivals, rebooting its classic strategy series as a mobile game. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Blizzard dispels Diablo 4 rumors, and Hitman 2 adds Sean Bean to the cast," 19 Oct. 2018 Fresh from demoing Oculus Quest at the Oculus Connect conference in San Jose last month, Ars has put together a short video taking you through the pros and cons of the headset's compromises. — Ars Staff, Ars Technica, "Video: What to expect from the Oculus Quest," 18 Oct. 2018 All three companies showed off the technology at the Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui, demoing a prototype 5G device on a prototype 5G network. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "How fast is 5G? This speed demo gives us an idea," 4 Dec. 2018 After showing off a demo of SpotMini opening a door like a velociraptor earlier this year, BostonDynamics is demoing their robodogs newest acquired skill. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "BostonDynamic's SpotMini Is Out on Patrol," 10 May 2018 Last week, Oprea posted an Instagram video of herself demoing an eight-part, equipment-free workout that targets this muscle group from all angles. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "A Quick Equipment-Free Butt Workout From Celebrity Trainer Erin Oprea," 27 June 2018 In the video, Bure and Stokes wear looped resistance bands around their ankles and demo the moves with inspiring synchronization and enthusiasm. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "Candace Cameron Bure's Lower-Body Circuit Will Strengthen Your Glutes, Hips, and Thighs," 15 Mar. 2018 The company demoed the new Google News during the I/O keynote, showing off many features in mobile-app form. — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "Google News gets Material Design look, better personalization with AI," 8 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'demo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for demo

Verb

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.