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hype

C2
Common

Pronunciation

UK

  • /hˈaɪp/

US

  • /ˈhaɪp/

Meanings

Noun

  1. publicity, excitement, or buzz around something

  2. exaggerated or misleading promotion or praise

Verb

  1. to promote or praise something enthusiastically

  2. to make someone excited or energized

Adjective

  1. (slang)excited, energetic, or lively

Beyond the definition

"Hype" describes strong publicity and excited talk around something, often more than it deserves. Think of a new movie release covered everywhere with trailers, interviews, and online posts; that's hype. It can also mean talking something up to make other people excited, like when a company hypes a product before it comes out. Sometimes the real thing does not match the build-up, so a friend might say, "Don't believe the hype!" if they think expectations are getting too high.

Examples

  1. 1

    Product launch

    There was a lot of hype around the new phone before it came out.

  2. 2

    Movie promotion

    The trailer created so much hype that tickets sold out in one day.

  3. 3

    Disappointed expectations

    I tried the restaurant at last, but it didn't live up to the hype.

    • Phraselive up to the hype

      be as good as people said

  4. 4

    Investor excitement

    Investors got caught up in the hype and ignored the risks.

    • Patternget caught up in + excitement/activity

      become too involved or excited

More examples
  1. 5

    Product marketing

    The brand has been hyping its new product for months.

  2. 6

    Encouragement

    He always hypes up his friends before a big game.

    • Patternhype someone up

      make someone feel excited or confident

  3. 7

    Social media

    I'm not buying into all the hype on social media.

    • Phrasebuy into the hype

      believe excited claims too easily

  4. 8

    Reviews

    The first season was overhyped, but the second one was genuinely good.

See also

Similar

Shades of meaning

Contrast

Used with (collocations)

  • marketing hype
  • media hype
  • believe the hype
  • live up to the hype

Word family

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Forms and spellings

4 forms open this card.

Main spelling

  • hypenounverb

Forms

  • hypedpast tenseverbnoun
  • hyping-ing formverbnoun
  • hypesverbnoun