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The Simpsons

66 1.0
An American animated TV show about a funny family and a brand with many products
  • proper noun
  • /ðə ˈsɪmp.sənz/
: Los Simpson
  • Many iconic characters from The Simpsons have become part of pop culture, like Homer and Bart.
  • creator of The Simpsons
  • episodes of The Simpsons
  • watch The Simpsons

Is Matt Groening, the guy who created The Simpsons, right on the flight logs?

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Examples

  • So the last episode of The Simpsons addressed this Hari Kondabolu issue.

  • Speaking of extremists, did anyone else catch the Simpsons last night?

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  • Somebody has to tell me that this happened on The Simpsons before it made sense.

  • I also think the kids get a kick out of knowing I watch The Simpsons and am paying attention to pop culture.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Would he have appeared on The Simpsons?

    Blog text (23)
  • The opening credit sequence for The Simpsons has changed throughout its 20+ year run, but one thing has always stayed the same.

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  • I also cried watching The Simpsons movie in the one scene where she tapes over the tape.

  • Is this the first time you've seen the Simpsons?

    Blog text (22)
  • From James Beard Award glory to a cameo on The Simpsons, the dude seemed simply inescapable.

    Blog text (23)
  • My first guest tonight is an Emmy award-winning actor whose voice stars in The Simpsons and whose face stars in the new IFC series, Brock Meyer.

Synonyms

The Flintstones
vsThe Simpsons
10 3.8

A cartoon family who live in the Stone Age in an American TV show

is set in modern everyday times with a comic family and broad franchise
The Jetsons
vsThe Simpsons
3 4.6

An American cartoon about a family living in a high-tech future

is set in modern everyday life with a comic family and wide franchise

Surface Forms

Morphology

the + Simpsons

The form 'The Simpsons' transparently combines the definite article with a plural surname, so a learner who knows the words can infer it refers to the Simpson family or a group named Simpson. However, recognising it specifically as the popular American animated TV show/franchise requires cultural world knowledge beyond the constituents, so the full meaning is not fully derivable.

Etymology

The Simpsons comes from cartoon maker Matt Groening. He named the family after his real relatives, Homer, Marge, Lisa and Maggie, and made Bart a naughty boy whose name hints at 'brat'. That's why the name now stands for the long-running 'TV show', the cartoon 'family', and the wider 'franchise'.