video

1 of 2

noun

vid·​eo ˈvi-dē-ˌō 

plural videos

1

: a recording of an image or of moving images

They often post videos of the kids online.

: such as

a

: a recorded show or presentation

a training/workout/promotional video

You won't just have access to generic movies, TV shows, and other videos. You'll see content from major brands …

—Sarah Chaney

b

: a recorded performance of a song often featuring an interpretation of the lyrics through visual images

The opening images of the music video … create a scary, dystopian feeling …

—Nicole McKenna

2

: television

also : the visual portion of television

3

: videotape

She goes over to the television and pops a video into the VCR.

—Cathy Horyn

video

2 of 2

adjective

1

: being, relating to, or used in the transmission or reception of the television image

a video channel

compare audio

2

: being, relating to, or involving images on a television screen or computer display

a video terminal

Synonyms

Noun

• tape
• tape recording
• vid
• videotape

Examples of video in a Sentence

Noun

We're going to rent a couple of videos to watch this weekend.

She was talking about a popular video she saw on the Internet.

The video of their wedding was made by a professional company.

The movie is available on video and DVD.

a TV channel that plays videos all day

Her latest music video was first released on the Internet.

Adjective

The video portion of the broadcast was fine but the sound was poor.

The large video file took a while to upload on my computer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At the broadcaster’s request, YouTube deleted his video, and the police launched an investigation. —John Yoon, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2024

However, videos are available on YouTube, including montages of the Superman trends originally posted to TikTok. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024

Adjective

The video quality is poor, the app is painfully slow to load and glitchy, and the doorbell frequently fails to register motion. —Simon Hill, WIRED, 15 Dec. 2024

While video evidence used to be the gold standard of truth, even in legal matters, those days are now long gone. —Bernard Marr, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin vidēre to see + -o (as in audio)

First Known Use

Noun

1935, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1934, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing video

• digital video disc
• home video
• music video
• video arcade
• video camera
• video card
• video doorbell
• video game
• video nasty
• video vérité

Kids Definition

video

1 of 2 noun

vid·​eo ˈvid-ē-ˌō 

1

: television sense 1

2

: videotape:

a

: a recording of a movie or television program for playing through a television set

b

: a videotaped performance of a song

3

: a recording similar to a videotape but stored in digital form (as an optical disk or a computer's hard drive)

video

2 of 2 adjective

1

: relating to or used in the sending or receiving of television images

a video channel

compare audio entry 1 sense 2b

2

: being, relating to, or involving images on a television screen or computer display

a video terminal