Meaning & use
a commercial
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A short advertisement broadcast on television or radio.
Grammar: Countable: say 'a commercial', 'the commercial' or 'commercials'.
Patterns
- a TV commercial
- run a commercial
- see a commercial
- a commercial for something
I saw a funny commercial for a new phone last night.
The company spent millions on a thirty-second commercial during the final.
She muted the TV every time a commercial came on.
nouncountable
A short piece of video or audio made to promote a product, shown online or in a cinema.
Grammar: Countable and used the same way; the medium may be the internet rather than TV.
Patterns
- an online commercial
- a commercial on YouTube
They made a short commercial for social media.
The commercial played before the film started.
Word forms
| plural | commercials |
|---|
Common combinations
- a TV commercial
- The TV commercial ran during every break.
- run a commercial
- The brand will run a commercial during the game.
- a commercial break
- We grabbed snacks during the commercial break.
- a commercial for something
- It was a commercial for a breakfast cereal.
- prime-time commercial
- A prime-time commercial costs a fortune.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ad
- The short, informal word for any advertisement; it fits print and online ads as well as broadcast ones.
- advertisement
- The general, slightly more formal word; it covers newspapers, posters and websites, not just TV and radio.
- spot
- A broadcasting term for a short ad; it is used more by people in the industry than by ordinary viewers.
Word family
- commerce noun
- The buying and selling of goods, especially between countries.
- commercial adjective
- Connected with business and making a profit.
- commercialize verb
- To use something mainly to make money.
- commercially adverb
- In a way that relates to business or profit.
Commonly confused: a commercial or commercial? a commercial or commerce?
a commercial vs commercial
The adjective means 'relating to business' (a commercial flight), which is quite different from the noun meaning an advertisement.
a commercial vs commerce
A noun for trade and business in general; it is not an advertisement.
Practice
We saw a thirty-second ______ for the new car during the football match.
Choose one answer.
After 'a', you need the singular countable noun 'commercial'. 'Commerce' means trade, not an advertisement; 'commercials' is plural and cannot follow 'a'; and 'commercially' is an adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a commercial”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.