broadcast

broadcast — verb

1. to put a show, speech, game, or other material onto TV, radio, or an online serv

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to put a show, speech, game, or other material onto TV, radio, or an online service for a large audience.

Example

Channel 8 broadcast the mayor's speech live from the city hall.

broadcast + event live from + place

The station broadcasts traffic news every ten minutes during the morning rush.

present simple for regular scheduling

Common collocations
  • broadcast a speech
  • broadcast a game
  • broadcast live
  • nationally broadcast
Synonyms
  • air

    common in media English, especially for scheduled programmes

  • stream

    focuses on internet delivery rather than TV or radio

  • transmit

    more technical and broader in scope

Antonyms
  • withhold

    to keep material from being shown or heard publicly

Grammar Patterns

broadcast + noun (a match, speech, concert)

broadcast on + channel / station

be broadcast live

Usage Note

Subject is usually a channel, station, network, or online platform, and the object is content people watch or listen to. Frequently passive when the focus is on the programme or event rather than the sender.

Common Mistakes

The match will broadcast on Friday.
The station will broadcast the match on Friday.' / 'The match will be broadcast on Friday.
use an agent as the subject, or use the passive for the programme.

2. to pass news, a warning, or another message around so that very many people hear

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to pass news, a warning, or another message around so that very many people hear it.

Example

Someone broadcast the exam answers across the school before lunch.

broadcast + information across + place

Police broadcast a storm warning to every village near the coast.

broadcast + warning to + audience

Common collocations
  • broadcast a warning
  • broadcast the news
  • broadcast a secret
  • widely broadcast
Synonyms
  • spread

    broad everyday word for information moving from person to person

  • circulate

    often used for news, stories, and written messages

  • publicize

    more formal and often deliberate

Antonyms
  • hide

    to keep information from other people

  • suppress

    to stop news from being shared publicly

Grammar Patterns

broadcast + news / warning / rumour

broadcast + something + to + group

be broadcast around / across + place

Usage Note

Object is often information that travels farther than it should, such as a secret, rumour, warning, or email. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about wide spread, not specifically about TV, radio, or streaming output.

Common Mistakes

She broadcast to everyone the secret.
She broadcast the secret to everyone.
put the message right after 'broadcast', then add the audience with 'to'.

3. to throw seeds or similar material loosely over a large area of land.

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to throw seeds or similar material loosely over a large area of land.

Example

In early spring, Ravi broadcast grass seed across the bare yard.

broadcast + seed across + ground

Farm workers broadcast rice seed by hand over the wet field.

by hand in farming context

Common collocations
  • broadcast seed
  • broadcast fertilizer
  • broadcast by hand
  • broadcast over a field
Synonyms
  • scatter

    general everyday word for throwing things in many directions

  • sow

    the main farming verb; broader because seeds can also be planted in rows

Antonyms
  • gather

    to collect material into one place instead of spreading it

Grammar Patterns

broadcast + seed across / over + ground

broadcast + fertilizer / straw

Usage Note

Object is usually seed, fertilizer, straw, or another loose material. Common in farming and gardening, where the idea is even scattering rather than putting things in rows.

Common Mistakes

They broadcast the seeds in straight lines.
They drilled the seeds in straight lines.' / 'They broadcast the seeds over the field.
'broadcast' means scattering loosely over an area, not placing seeds in rows.

broadcast — noun

broadcast — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For sense 1, broadcast is the broad everyday verb for sending a programme or event out to a large audience. Air is very close, but it sounds more tied to schedules and media industry talk: stations air shows at 8 p.m. Stream points to internet delivery, so it fits websites and apps better than radio. Televise is narrower because it only works for television, often for sports or ceremonies. Transmit is the most technical and can describe signals, data, or radio waves, not just shows. A concert can be broadcast on TV, streamed on a phone app, televised nationwide, or transmitted by satellite from one city to another.

air ↗stream ↗televisetransmit ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • broadcast station
  • broadcast signal
  • broadcast rights

Adverbs

Phrases

  • live broadcast
  • news broadcast
  • broadcast live

Prepositions

  • broadcast on
  • broadcast from
  • broadcast to

Etymology

Old EnglishOld NorseEnglish

Broadcast began as a farming word. It was built from broad and cast, and first meant throwing seed widely across a field by hand. In the early 1900s, English speakers took that image and used it for radio, because sound was being sent out in many directions at once. Later the same idea spread naturally to television and then to internet streaming.