What does televise mean?
Televise means to transmit something to an audience through television, especially a program, performance, speech, interview, or major event. It is commonly used in news reporting and broadcasting, as in “The interview was televised worldwide” or “The game will be televised live.” The word describes both the act of transmission and the broader practice of presenting public material to a television audience. Its connotations are generally formal and factual rather than emotional. Television terminology often uses “live” to distinguish an immediate broadcast from a recorded or delayed one, while “broadcast” is the more general and often more frequent modern alternative. Televise is especially useful because it identifies the medium explicitly, distinguishing television from radio, print, or online distribution.
verbTo broadcast or transmit a program, performance, event, or other content by television. It can also mean to present or communicate something to the public through television.
- To broadcast or transmit content by television, especially a program, performance, event, or speech.
"The station will televise the championship final live on Saturday evening."
"The ceremony was televised live from the capital."
"Several local stations televise the regional election debate."
Before streaming, you did not simply watch television: broadcasters televised it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does televise come from?
Televise was formed in English by adding the verbal suffix “-ize” to television, following the development of television broadcasting in the early twentieth century. Television itself combines the Greek prefix tele-, meaning “far” or “at a distance,” with vision, from Latin visus, meaning “seen.” The same tele- element appears in related words such as telephoto, telepathy, and teleology, all of which concern distance, transmission, or long-range observation.
Related word forms
How televise is actually used
Televise is neutral in register but is used mainly in journalism, broadcasting, and formal announcements. In contemporary English, broadcast is often more common, especially when the medium may be radio, television, or the internet.
Easily confused with televise
Televise is the standard verb for transmitting content by television, whereas telecast can function as either a noun for a broadcast or a verb synonymous with televise.