idiot box

noun

Definition of idiot boxnext
as in TV
an electronic device with a screen and speakers that reproduces images and sound she declared that she wouldn't have an idiot box in her home

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of idiot box Writers strove to position themselves as more cynical than the idiot box that knew itself to be an idiot box. — Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025 All that, somehow, without Truman himself ever switching on the idiot box. — Armond White, National Review, 2 Aug. 2023 But the idiot box has also inspired arguably his worst projects, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Newsroom, sanctimonious and stupefyingly self-serious accounts of the woes of content creation. — Jason Bailey, Vulture, 21 Dec. 2021 All those childhood years in front of the idiot box could now be considered research — a lifetime of training, cleverly disguised as sloth. — Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idiot box
  1. TV
  2. television
Noun
  • New episodes drop on Wednesday (Tuesday evening for Apple TV) with ten episodes running through October 7.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • At 60, Chandler is arguably more attractive than ever, with the sort of seasoning that served James Garner so well as Jim Rockford, TV’s greatest detective.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of TV
Noun
  • Norway's soccer star Erling Haaland's face has appeared on billboards, trading cards and television screens, becoming a social media phenomenon for scoring seven goals across four World Cup matches in July.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • But the Black dude asking the White player that question is amplified on national television as entertainment.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of television

Browse Nearby Words

idiot
idiot box
idiot boxes
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Cite this Entry

“Idiot box.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idiot%20box. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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