Meaning & use
astroturfing
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The deceptive practice of making an organized campaign look like spontaneous support from ordinary people.
Grammar: Uncountable; no plural. Often used with the definite article: the astroturfing was exposed.
Patterns
- astroturfing by a company
- accused of astroturfing
- a case of astroturfing
The company was accused of astroturfing after fake social media accounts praised its new product.
Astroturfing can mislead the public into thinking a movement has widespread popular support.
The newspaper exposed a case of astroturfing where a political group paid people to attend a protest.
Common combinations
- corporate astroturfing
- Corporate astroturfing is often used to fight environmental regulations.
- political astroturfing
- Political astroturfing tries to create the impression of a grassroots movement.
- accused of astroturfing
- The senator was accused of astroturfing when his campaign paid for supportive comments online.
- astroturfing campaign
- The astroturfing campaign fooled many journalists at first.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fake grassroots
- A more informal term that describes the same idea but is not a noun; use astroturfing for the practice itself.
- manufactured consent
- A broader term about shaping public opinion, not specifically about faking grassroots support.
Opposites
Word family
- astroturf verb
- To organize a fake grassroots campaign; less common than the noun.
Commonly confused: astroturfing or grassroots?
astroturfing vs grassroots
Grassroots means genuine support from ordinary people; astroturfing is the fake version.
Practice
The company was accused of ______ after it paid employees to write positive reviews online.
Choose one answer.
Astroturfing specifically means faking spontaneous support. 'Grassroots' is genuine, 'lobbying' is trying to influence politicians, and 'campaigning' is general.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “astroturfing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.