media

1 of 3

noun (1)

me·​dia ˈmē-dē-ə How to pronounce media (audio)
plural medias
often attributive
1
a
singular or plural in construction : mass media
b
medias plural : members of the mass media
2
: a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression
Air is a media that conveys sound.
especially : medium sense 2a
Is media singular or plural?: Usage Guide

The singular media and its plural medias seem to have originated in the field of advertising over 70 years ago; they are still so used without stigma in that specialized field. In most other applications media is used as a plural of medium. The popularity of the word in references to the agencies of mass communication is leading to the formation of a mass noun, construed as a singular.

there's no basis for it. You know, the news media gets on to something Edwin Meese 3d
the media is less interested in the party's policies James Lewis, Guardian Weekly

This use is not as well established as the mass-noun use of data and is likely to incur criticism especially in writing.

media

2 of 3

noun (2)

me·​dia ˈmē-dē-ə How to pronounce media (audio)
plural mediae ˈmē-dē-ˌē How to pronounce media (audio)
1
[Late Latin, from Latin, feminine of medius; from the voiced stops' being regarded as intermediate between the tenues and the aspirates] : a voiced (see voiced sense 2) stop (see stop entry 2 sense 1b)
2
[New Latin, from Latin] : the middle coat of the wall of a blood or lymph (see lymph sense 2) vessel consisting chiefly of circular muscle fibers

media

3 of 3

plural of medium

Examples of media in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday as anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and clashed with police, a day after 19 people died in violent protests triggered by a social media ban. Gopal Sharma, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025 Social media links mean distraction. Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 The media empire fell about 5% following the announcement that the Murdoch family resolved its succession battle, with Lachlan Murdoch winning control of the company. Sarah Min, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025 James Gallagher, the Republican leader of the state Assembly, pointed to the state’s ongoing budget deficits, homelessness crisis and sky-high costs of living in a social media post responding to Newsom’s letter. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for media

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

plural of medium

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of media was in 1841

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Media.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/media. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

media

1 of 2

plural of medium

media

2 of 2 noun
me·​dia
ˈmēd-ē-ə
1
: a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression
especially : medium sense 3
2
a
singular or plural : forms or systems of communication designed to reach a large number of people : mass media
b
plural : members of the mass media

Medical Definition

media

1 of 3

plural of medium

media

2 of 3 noun
me·​dia ˈmēd-ē-ə How to pronounce media (audio)
plural mediae -ē-ˌē How to pronounce media (audio)
: the middle coat of the wall of a blood or lymph vessel consisting chiefly of circular muscle fibers

called also tunica media

Geographical Definition

Media

geographical name

Me·​dia ˈmē-dē-ə How to pronounce Media (audio)
ancient country and province of the Persian Empire in the northwestern part of modern Iran
Median adjective or noun

More from Merriam-Webster on media

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