television

noun, often attributive tele·vi·sion \ ˈte-lə-ˌvi-zhən , especially British ˌte-lə-ˈ \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of television

1 : an electronic system of transmitting transient images of fixed or moving objects together with sound over a wire or through space by apparatus that converts light and sound into electrical waves and reconverts them into visible light rays and audible sound

2 : a television receiving set

3 a : the television broadcasting industry

b : television as a medium of communication

See television defined for English-language learners

See television defined for kids

Examples of television in a Sentence

people who turn on the television the minute they walk in the door

Recent Examples of television from the Web

Then a breaking news report on television announced that the Illinois National Guard had been activated to respond to the riot.

— Chicago Tribune, "Rage, riots, ruin," 9 Apr. 2018
Doncic, of course, is more of a mystery because his games for Real Madrid aren’t as readily available on television.

— scott bordow, azcentral, "Phoenix Suns' draft plan may have Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton at the top," 5 Apr. 2018
Savvy as the wimpy fiancé, Henle’s sweetest moments revolve around Howard’s belief that appearing on television as a weatherman is akin to stage acting; his general cluelessness is always funny and endearing.

— patti restivo, Howard County Times, "A moon full of talent at Laurel Mill Playhouse," 5 Apr. 2018
This is particularly important since transgender characters on television are often shown as little more than their gender, or in tragic or upsetting plot lines.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, ""Rise" Actor Ellie Desautels on Why Their Character Standing up to Bullies Is So Important," 4 Apr. 2018
And while ads for opioid drugs were typically not shown on television, Greene says the cultural and political shifts that made direct-to-consumer advertising possible also changed the reception to the persistent pushing of opioids by industry.

— jon kelvey, Smithsonian, "How Advertising Shaped the First Opioid Epidemic," 3 Apr. 2018
Even streaming device Roku now sells ads, adding more competition for legacy television networks.

— bob fernandez, Philly.com, "TV ads continue to slump as money flows to Google, Facebook," 2 Apr. 2018
But one man’s discomfort is a Reddit user’s happiness, so the whole thing went viral and CWK turned into this whole thing, rekindling the debate about whether television networks should show kids crying during sporting events.

— chris chase, For The Win, "The 15 best characters, memes and bawling adults from NCAA tournament history," 2 Apr. 2018
The trick is to borrow from performance styles that already have accepted cinematographies, that audiences know how to watch on television already.

— constance grady, Vox, "Why Jesus Christ Superstar Live succeeded where other live TV musicals have failed," 2 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of television

French télévision, from télé- tele- + vision vision

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1900

See Words from the same year

Other Broadcasting Terms

continuity, dissolve, fade, feed, remote, residual, spike, wipe

TELEVISION Defined for English Language Learners

television

noun

Definition of television for English Language Learners

: an electronic system of sending images and sounds by a wire or through space
: a piece of equipment with a screen that receives images and sounds sent by television
: programs that are broadcast by television

TELEVISION Defined for Kids

television

noun tele·vi·sion \ ˈte-lə-ˌvi-zhən \

Definition of television for Students

1 : an electronic system of sending images and sound over a wire or through space by devices that change light and sound into electrical signals and then change these back into light and sound

2 : a piece of equipment with a screen and speakers that reproduces images and sound

3 : programs that are broadcast by television