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

Thanks to her expertise in the crime genre, the title quickly gained worldwide popularity and caught the attention of television production companies, who began coordinating its adaptation. —Pamela Vázquez, Glamour, 13 Dec. 2025

American actor Dick Van Dyke sits on a couch and points at American actor Mary Tyler Moore who is seated across from him in a still from the television series, 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' circa 1961. —CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025

Now with eight more games, the SEC has a chance to give Disney even more television inventory. —Seth Emerson, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025

In the final moments of the pilot, Laura unclasps her pearl necklace — that essential accessory of television housewife predecessors — and walks out of the frame holding it like a dripping rag. —John Glynn, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025

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
• 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