Meaning & use
telecast
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Meanings
nouncountable
A program or event that is broadcast on television.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a telecast' or 'telecasts'.
Patterns
- a live telecast
- a telecast of something
Millions watched the live telecast of the opening ceremony.
The telecast was interrupted by a power failure.
She appeared in a telecast of the concert last night.
verbtransitive
To broadcast an event or program on television.
Grammar: Takes an object: telecast the game.
Patterns
- telecast something
- telecast something live
The network will telecast the final match.
They telecast the parade to viewers around the world.
The ceremony was telecast live from the capital.
Word forms
| plural | telecasts |
|---|---|
| third person singular | telecasts |
| past tense | telecast |
| past participle | telecast |
| present participle | telecasting |
Common combinations
- live telecast
- The live telecast attracted a huge audience.
- television telecast
- The television telecast was delayed by technical problems.
- telecast of the event
- We watched the telecast of the event on the news channel.
- telecast live
- The game was telecast live to over fifty countries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- broadcast
- A more general term that can refer to radio, television, or internet transmission, while 'telecast' specifically means a television broadcast.
- transmission
- Often used for the act or process of sending signals; 'telecast' usually refers to the program itself or the event of broadcasting on TV.
Word family
- telecaster noun
- A person or organization that telecasts.
- televise verb
- To broadcast on television; a more common verb than 'telecast'.
- television noun
- The medium or device for receiving broadcast programs.
Commonly confused: telecast or telecast?
telecast vs telecast
Sometimes confused with 'podcast', which is an audio or video program distributed online, not on television.
Practice
The awards ceremony was _____ live to millions of viewers around the world.
Choose one answer.
The past participle 'telecast' is used after 'was' to form the passive, and it is the correct form because the verb has the same past participle as its base form. 'Telecasted' is a common mistake but is not standard; 'telecasting' would need a helping verb like 'was being' for a continuous passive, and 'telecasts' is the third-person singular present, which does not fit the passive construction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “telecast”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.