idents

Meanings

1. 1nounpluralBritishinformal

   Short film clips or sound signals shown between programs that identify a television or radio channel.

   Grammar: Plural form; the singular ident takes an or the: the channel's new ident.

   Patterns

   • idents for something

   The channel commissioned new idents featuring dancing animals.

   Radio idents tell listeners which station they are tuning in to.

   Viewers loved the quirky idents between the shows.

2. 2nounpluralinformal

   Official documents or papers that prove who someone is, used as a short form of identification.

   Grammar: Informal plural, mainly British; singular is rare.

   The guards asked everyone to show their idents at the gate.

   He lost his idents while traveling.

Word forms

Common combinations

channel idents

Channel idents often change with the seasons.

station idents

The station idents were recorded by famous voices.

create idents

Designers created idents with a bold red logo.

animated idents

Animated idents appeared before each film.

play the idents

The channel plays the idents between programs.

Synonyms and how they differ

jingles

Jingles are short catchy songs used in advertising, whereas idents just identify the channel.

station breaks

Station breaks are the pauses between programs, which may include idents, and is more American.

logos

Logos are the visual symbols themselves, while idents are moving clips that show them.

bumpers

Bumpers is the American word for the short clips that frame a commercial break.

Word family

identity noun

who or what someone or something is

identify verb

to recognize or name

identification noun

proof of who you are, often shortened to ID

Commonly confused: idents or IDs?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “idents”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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