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telethon Definition

☆ tele·thon (tel′ə t̸hän′)

noun

a campaign, as on a lengthy telecast, seeking support for a cause, as by pledged donations made by telephone

Etymology: tele(vision) + (mara)thon

telethon Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • need: This years event was the 25th edition of the BBC Children in Need telethon.
  • first: Queen's established the Alumni Fund in May 1999 with the launch of the first telethon.
  • annual: We undertake annual fundraising telethons and schools can bid for funding from the alumni fund.
  • national: By the end of the evening, we find ourselves invited to join a national telethon on the coming Friday for children with disabilities.

Modifies a noun

  • campaign: Telethon campaign reaches all-time high Student callers secured the highest amount of donations to date in the recent spring telethon for the Edinburgh Fund.
  • appeal: The Office of Alumni and Development ran its regular telethon appeals between October and March 2005/06.

Noun used with modifier

  • charity: Robbie Williams dressed up like an old-fashioned lady to film a comedy sketch for British TV charity telethon 'Comic Relief ' .
  • fundraising: We undertake annual fundraising telethons and schools can bid for funding from the alumni fund.
  • hour: One such event was a two hour telethon shown around the Globe which included many celebrities from various walks of life.