demo

¹

[ dem-oh ]

noun

, plural dem·os.

1. demonstration ( defs 4, 6 ).
2. demonstrator ( def 5 ).
3. a recording of a new song or of one performed by an unknown singer or singing group, distributed to disc jockeys, recording companies, etc., to demonstrate the merits of the song or performer.
4. demolition ( def 1 ):

   He does flooring and demo for a living.

verb (used with object)

, dem·oed, dem·o·ing.

1. to try out or exhibit the use of (a product, process, or the like):

   You can demo the game without downloading or buying it.

2. to record (a song) to demonstrate the merits of the song or performer.

Demo

²

[ dem-oh ]

noun

, Informal.

, plural Dem·os.

1. a member of the Democratic Party; Democrat.

demo-

³

1. a combining form occurring in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “people” ( democratic ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words ( demography ).

demo

¹

/ ˈdɛməʊ /

noun

1. short for demonstration
2. 1. a demonstration record or tape, used for audition purposes
   2. a demonstration of a prototype system
3. short for demonstrator

demo-

²

combining_form

1. indicating people or population

   demography

Word History and Origins

Origin of demo¹

1935–40; by shortening; -o

Origin of demo²

An Americanism dating back to 1785–95

Origin of demo³

< Greek dēmo-, combining form of dêmos

Word History and Origins

Origin of demo¹

from Greek dēmos

Example Sentences

He had a demo that fit the bill, albeit without a hook or lyrics.

From BBC

Jones discovered guitarist George Johnson and bassist Louis Johnson when he heard them playing on a demo by Chaka Khan's sister, Taka Boom.

From BBC

I was hanging with Logic one day and we were going back and forth with hip-hop beats, and I played him a demo of “Clear Sky After the Storm” and once again, he was like, “Wait a minute. After that, people are going to sample it and make their own songs.”

From Los Angeles Times

I sang it into a tape recorder that I had in the car, and I did a demo and sent it to the director, Joel Schumacher, who I loved working with.

From Los Angeles Times

The funny thing is that after Bryan did this amazing demo, Joel calls and he goes, “Oh my God, David, I’ve made such a big mistake — I put your melody up against the movie, and it’s perfect.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• album
• disk