Meaning & use
astroturf
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountabletrademark
A synthetic material that looks like grass, used to cover sports fields and other surfaces.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used with 'on' to describe a surface: play on Astroturf.
Patterns
- play on Astroturf
- covered with Astroturf
- a field of Astroturf
The football team practices on Astroturf to avoid muddy fields.
They replaced the natural grass with Astroturf to reduce maintenance costs.
Many indoor sports facilities use Astroturf for its durability.
verbtransitivefigurativedisapproving
To organize a campaign that appears to be a spontaneous public movement but is actually funded by a hidden group.
Grammar: Takes an object: astroturf a campaign.
Patterns
- astroturf a campaign
- astroturf support
- be accused of astroturfing
The company was accused of astroturfing a protest against the new regulations.
Politicians sometimes astroturf grassroots movements to create the illusion of widespread support.
The website was shut down after it was discovered to be astroturfing.
Word forms
| third person singular | astroturfs |
|---|---|
| past tense | astroturfed |
| past participle | astroturfed |
| present participle | astroturfing |
Common combinations
- Astroturf field
- The new Astroturf field cost millions to install.
- astroturf campaign
- The astroturf campaign was exposed by journalists.
- astroturfing tactics
- The group used astroturfing tactics to fake public support.
- on Astroturf
- The players complained about playing on Astroturf.
Synonyms and how they differ
- artificial turf
- A generic term for synthetic grass; Astroturf is a brand name but often used generically.
- fake grass
- Informal term for artificial turf.
Opposites
Word family
- astroturfing noun
- The practice of creating a false impression of grassroots support.
Commonly confused: astroturf or grassroots?
astroturf vs grassroots
Grassroots refers to genuine, spontaneous support from ordinary people, while astroturf implies a fake, orchestrated campaign.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'astroturf' as a verb meaning to fake public support?
Choose one answer.
Only option 1 uses 'astroturf' as a verb with the meaning of faking support. The other options use it as a noun referring to the synthetic surface.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “astroturf”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.