Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
The disguising of an orchestrated campaign as a "grass-roots" event, i.e., a spontaneous upwelling of public opinion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Qualifier: now social media
Topics: business, marketing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
present participle and gerund of Astroturf
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
From AstroTurf (“a synthetic substitute for grass”), a play on grass roots, as in “fake grass roots”. Attributed to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen in an unidentified 1985 public statement: "[A] fellow from Texas can tell the difference between grassroots and Astroturf."
Across languages
11 source translations are retained for this English entry.
