television

noun

tele·​vi·​sion ˈte-lə-ˌvi-zhən 

especially British ˌte-lə-ˈvi-

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

c

: programming distributed over the Internet that is designed to be viewed in the same format as broadcast television

A couple of couch companions watching TV on tablets might not see the same thing any more, even when watching the same shows. Ad personalization … has come to streaming television.

—Donna Howell

The quarter was the 10th anniversary of Netflix's streaming service, which began with the vision that internet television would ultimately replace traditional television.

—Emily Steel

Synonyms of television

• TV

Examples of television in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Always unassuming, sitting in the back of the room — but often the smartest person in the room — Saftler became known as the guy who can predict the future of television, constantly analyzing industry trends to figure out what would come next. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026

Pence built the firm with her husband, Dryden Pence, its chief investment officer and a familiar face on national financial television, where he is regularly asked to read the markets and the wider economy. — Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026

Two successful local professionals — a television executive and a food entrepreneur — are among the dead. — Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

What complicates this topic is the Big Ten and SEC operating on different television cycles. — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French télévision, from télé- tele- + vision vision

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing television

• cable television
• closed-circuit television
• community antenna television
• educational television
• on (the) television
• pre-television
• reality TV/television
• satellite television
• television set

Rhymes for television

• cablevision
• circumcision
• imprecision
• indecision
• subdivision
• supervision
• abscission
• collision
• decision
• derision
• division
• elision

Kids Definition

television

noun

tele·​vi·​sion ˈtel-ə-ˌvizh-ən 

1

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

2

: a television receiving set

3

: the television broadcasting industry