I. pro ‧ gramme 1 S1 W1 BrE AmE British English , program American English /ˈprəʊɡræm $ ˈproʊ-/ noun [countable]
1 . PLAN a series of actions which are designed to achieve something important:
the US space program
programme to do something
a United Nations programme to control the spread of AIDS
programme of
a programme of economic reforms
2 . TELEVISION/RADIO something that you watch on television or listen to on the radio:
What’s your favourite television programme?
news and current affairs programmes
programme about/on
There’s a programme about killer whales next.
see/watch a programme
3 . EDUCATION American English a course of study:
Stanford University’s MBA program
a research program
4 . IMPROVEMENTS actions that have been planned to keep something in good condition or improve something:
a new fitness programme
5 . PLAY/CONCERT a small book or piece of paper that gives information about a play, concert etc and who the performers are:
a theatre programme
6 . LIST OF EVENTS a series of planned activities or events, or a list showing what order they will come in
programme for
What’s the programme for tomorrow?
programme of
a programme of exhibitions throughout the year
7 . MACHINE a series of actions done in a particular order by a machine such as a washing machine:
The light goes off when it finishes the programme.
8 . get with the program spoken informal especially American English used to tell someone to pay attention to what needs to be done, and to do it
⇨ ↑ program 1
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + programme
▪ an economic programme
The party did not have a clear economic programme.
▪ a development programme
This project is a central part of the development programme for the area.
▪ a reform programme
After the elections, they embarked on an ambitious reform programme.
▪ an expansion programme
The company’s aggressive expansion program will double the size of the chain in the next four years.
▪ a building programme
We will continue with our hospital building programme.
▪ a spending programme
The government’s spending programme is the subject of vigorous debate.
▪ the space programme (=for sending vehicles into space)
He was involved in the Soviet space programme.
▪ a major/massive programme
A major programme of modernisation is transforming public transport in London.
▪ an ambitious programme
The European Community embarked on an ambitious programme of research.
■ verbs
▪ embark on/launch a programme (=start it)
The company has embarked on an expansion programme.
▪ carry out a programme ( also implement a programme formal )
They attempted to implement a programme of reform.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ NOUN + programme
▪ a television programme ( also a TV programme informal )
There aren't many good TV programmes on an the moment.
▪ a radio programme
I was once interviewed for a radio programme.
▪ a cookery/wildlife/news etc programme
More and more people are watching cookery programmes on TV.
■ verbs
▪ watch a programme
She was watching a wildlife programme.
▪ see a programme
Did you see that programme last night about crocodiles?
▪ listen to a programme
A lot of people listen to that programme on the way to work.
▪ hear a programme
I heard an interesting programme on the radio yesterday.
▪ present a programme British English , host a program American English (=introduce its different parts)
At the time she was also presenting several television programmes.
▪ appear on a programme
I was invited to appear on a TV programme.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ programme British English , program American English /ˈprəʊɡræm/ something that you watch on television, or listen to on the radio:
What’s your favourite television programme?
|
I watched an interesting programme about Egypt last night.
▪ show /ʃəʊ/ a programme on television or the radio, especially an informal one in which people talk together, take part in a game etc:
a late-night talk show
|
game shows
|
She hosts a weekly call-in radio show called ‘Got a question?’
▪ documentary /ˌdɒkjɑˈment ə ri◂ $ ˌdɑːk-/ a programme that gives you facts and information about a serious subject, such as history, science, or social problems:
a documentary about homeless people
|
a 50-minute television documentary
▪ soap opera/soap /ˈsəʊp ˌɒp ə rə $ -ˌɑː-, səʊp/ a television or radio programme that tells an imaginary story about a group of people and their lives, and is often broadcast regularly for many years:
the Australian soap opera ‘Neighbours’
|
the huge success of television soaps
▪ sitcom /ˈsɪtkɒm $ -kɑːm/ an amusing programme in which there is a different story each week about the same group of people:
the American sitcom ‘Friends’
▪ reality TV television programmes that show real people in funny situations or situations in which they must compete with each other. Often the people are filmed continuously for weeks or months:
the reality TV show ‘Big Brother’
|
The trouble with reality TV is that a lot of the time it’s really boring.
▪ webcast a programme, event etc that is broadcast on the Internet:
Universities may record and broadcast some lectures as webcasts.
▪ podcast a file of recorded sound and sometimes pictures that you can ↑ download from the Internet:
The interview is available as a podcast.
II. programme 2 BrE AmE British English , program American English verb [transitive]
1 . to set a machine to operate in a particular way
programme something to do something
I’ve programmed the video to come on at ten.
⇨ ↑ program 2
2 . be programmed if a person or an animal is programmed socially or biologically to do something, they do it without thinking
be programmed to do something
All birds of this species are programmed to build their nests in the same way.
3 . to arrange for something to happen as part of a series of planned events or activities:
What’s programmed for this afternoon?