English Reference

Word

tele

/ˈtɛɫə/

Definition

n. a short word for the television. People use this when they are talking casually at home.

n. a shortened form of 'television', used in casual speech and writing. Common in British English and other Commonwealth dialects.

Examples

“What is on the tele tonight?”

“After a long day at work, he usually just wants to sit on the sofa and watch the tele.”

“The rise of streaming services has fundamentally changed how families interact with the tele, as scheduled broadcasting gives way to on-demand viewing habits.”

Examples

simple

“What is on the tele tonight?”

contextual

“After a long day at work, he usually just wants to sit on the sofa and watch the tele.”

complex

“The rise of streaming services has fundamentally changed how families interact with the tele, as scheduled broadcasting gives way to on-demand viewing habits.”

Usage

Usually used with the definite article 'the'. Often spelled 'telly' in British English.

Etymology

Clipping of television.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/tele

English Reference