To broadcast means to send out information, a message, or a program so that many people can receive it at the same time. Radio stations broadcast music and news through the air to anyone with a radio. Television networks broadcast shows into millions of homes. When the President gives an important speech, networks broadcast it live so the whole country can watch together.

The word comes from an old farming technique: when farmers broadcast seeds, they scatter them widely across a field with broad, sweeping motions of their arms, rather than planting them one by one in neat rows. Similarly, when you broadcast information, you're spreading it far and wide rather than telling people individually.

Today, the word has expanded beyond radio and TV. You can broadcast a message on social media, broadcast your location to friends through an app, or broadcast your thoughts in a group chat. A broadcaster is someone whose job involves presenting radio or TV programs.

As a noun, a broadcast is the program or message being sent out, like a news broadcast.

When you broadcast something, you're making it public and available to whoever wants to tune in. That's different from sending a private message to one person. If you broadcast your birthday party plans to your whole class, everyone knows about it at once. The power of broadcasting is that one person speaking can reach thousands or even millions of listeners or viewers simultaneously.