Meaning & use
demo-ing
Last updated
“demo-ing” is a form of “demo”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformal
Showing a product, song, or piece of software to people to let them try it or hear it.
Grammar: The -ing form of 'demo'; it behaves like other -ing forms, taking an object when one is needed: demoing the app.
Patterns
- demo something
- demo something to someone
- be demoing
She spent the afternoon demoing the new app to a room full of teachers.
They were demoing songs from the album at small clubs before the tour.
Demoing the software live is riskier than showing a video of it.
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformalmusic
Recording a rough version of a song in order to develop or share it.
Grammar: Used mostly in music talk; the object is usually a song or a set of songs.
Patterns
- demo a song
- be demoing
The band is demoing new material in a friend's garage.
He's been demoing tracks all winter and hopes to pick ten for the record.
Word forms
| third person singular | demos |
|---|---|
| past tense | demoed |
| past participle | demoed |
| -ing form | demoing |
Common combinations
- demo a product
- Sales staff will demo the product at the trade fair.
- demo a song
- They demoed the song before deciding on the final arrangement.
- demo live
- Demoing live in front of buyers makes her nervous.
- busy demoing
- The team is busy demoing the update to clients all week.
Synonyms and how they differ
- showcase
- More formal and often suggests a public event rather than a quick trial run.
- demonstrate
- The full verb form; it sounds more formal than the short 'demo'.
- pitch
- Focuses on persuading buyers rather than simply letting them try something.
Word family
- demo noun
- A short recording or a trial version of a product.
- demo verb
- The base form meaning to show or record something as a sample.
- demonstration noun
- A formal showing of how something works.
Commonly confused: demo-ing or demoting? demo-ing or demoing?
demo-ing vs demoting
Sounds similar but comes from 'demote', meaning to lower someone's rank.
demo-ing vs demoing
The spelling without the hyphen is more common; both are accepted.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'demoing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Demo' takes the thing shown as its object, so 'demoing the new printer to the staff' fits. Option 2 wrongly makes the printer the audience, and the other two get the verb forms wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “demo-ing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.