astroturf
astroturf — noun
1. a trademarked artificial grass product used mainly on sports pitches and playing
a trademarked artificial grass product used mainly on sports pitches and playing areas
The school replaced its muddy field with astroturf before the new term started.
field with astroturf — noun collocation
Fatima slid across the astroturf and scraped her knee during the match.
The new astroturf pitch stays green all year, unlike real grass.
The gardener installed astroturf in the backyard so the children could play without mud.
installed astroturf — verb collocation
Professional hockey players now train on astroturf instead of natural grass.
- astroturf pitch
- astroturf field
- astroturf surface
- lay astroturf
- install astroturf
- artificial turf
the generic term; AstroTurf is a specific brand name
- synthetic grass
more formal, used in technical or industry contexts
- natural grass
real growing grass, as opposed to an artificial surface
Common Mistakes
astroturf — adjective
- astroturfpositive
- more astroturfcomparative
- most astroturfsuperlative
1. describing online content or organised campaigns that are designed to look as th
describing online content or organised campaigns that are designed to look as though they were created spontaneously by ordinary people, when in reality a business or political organisation is behind them
The oil company funded an astroturf campaign to oppose the new climate law.
astroturf campaign — adjective modifies campaign
Yuna discovered that dozens of positive reviews were actually astroturf posts from the seller.
The politician's team was caught running astroturf accounts on social media.
An astroturf letter-writing drive flooded the council with identical complaints.
astroturf letter-writing drive — adjective with compound noun
Noah traced the astroturf comments back to a public relations firm in the city.
- astroturf campaign
- astroturf comments
- astroturf posts
- astroturf accounts
- astroturf reviews
- fake grassroots
a more explicit description, less compact than astroturf
- manufactured
broader in scope; astroturf specifically refers to faking public or consumer sentiment
- grassroots
genuinely coming from ordinary people, not organised by powerful interests
Grammar Patterns
astroturf + campaign/posts/comments/accounts
Usage Note
Typically modifies words like campaign, post, comment, account, or review. Distinguish from the noun sense — the artificial grass brand that gives this word its figurative meaning.
Common Mistakes
astroturf — verb
- astroturfpresent simple I / you / we / they
- astroturfs3rd person singular
- astroturfing-ing form
- astroturfedpast simple
1. to post comments, reviews, or other material online that pretends to express gen
to post comments, reviews, or other material online that pretends to express genuine public feeling, while actually being produced by an organisation seeking to shape opinion
The developer tried to astroturf support for the new shopping centre by posting fake local testimonials.
astroturf support — verb with direct object
Several companies were fined for astroturfing online reviews of their own products.
fined for astroturfing — passive with gerund
Vikram's investigation revealed that a lobbying group had astroturfed the entire petition.
The lobbying firm astroturfed hundreds of comments to make the policy look unpopular.
The senator accused the opposition of astroturfing public opinion ahead of the vote.
astroturfing public opinion — typical object
- astroturf support
- astroturf reviews
- astroturf comments
- astroturf public opinion
- fake
much broader; astroturf specifically involves public opinion or consumer sentiment
- manufacture support
more explicit but wordier; conveys the same idea of artificial backing
Grammar Patterns
astroturf + support/reviews/comments/public opinion
Usage Note
Object is typically something related to public opinion — support, reviews, comments, a petition. Often used in political or corporate contexts. Can appear in passive constructions (was astroturfed) and gerund forms (accused of astroturfing).