promotion

American  

[pruh-moh-shuhn] / prəˈmoʊ ʃən /

noun

• promotions
  plural

1. advancement in rank or position.

2. furtherance or encouragement.

3. the act of promoting.

4. the state of being promoted.

5. something devised to publicize or advertise a product, cause, institution, etc., as a brochure, free sample, poster, television or radio commercial, or personal appearance.

6. Also called queening. Chess. the replacement of a pawn that has reached the enemy's first rank by a more powerful piece of the same color, usually a queen.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpromotion
  noun
• prepromotion
  noun
• self-promotion
  noun
• promotional
  adjective
• unpromotional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• promotions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of promotion

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin prōmōtiōn-, stem of prōmōtiō “movement forward, advancement”; equivalent to promote + -ion

Explanation

A promotion is a raise in pay or stature, or it's a way to raise the profile or attention of something. If you create an advertising promotion that increases sales of spray jeans in a can, for example, you might get a promotion to company vice-president. Words that start with pro- usually hint at something positive or forward moving, and a promotion is a moving up or a motion forward. A product promotion pushes the item out in front so it gets more exposure, and a work or school promotion raises your salary or moves you up a grade. If you’re in the military a promotion means a higher rank, with more people under your command, and the same happens if you earn a promotion in a club or organization like the scouts.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

promotion promotions

Self-producing isn’t only about promotion, it’s about creative ownership.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

They cited a Journal investigation into her promotion of a Greek company whose lobbyist traveled with her to meetings with governments across the Balkans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The reason that automatic promotion spots are handed to the champions in the West and Southwest is simply because there are more men's football teams registered in those jurisdictions - because more people live there.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Stars like CM Punk and Ray Fenix have complained loudly about the way the promotion handles wrestler health.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

The promotion of superstition was not considered a political necessity.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

The situation only got worse as WWE muscled out nearly all regional promotions.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

McDonald’s last month said too many promotions at once — along with changes to its McValue discount platform — led to complications for restaurant workers and questions from customers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Also, Disney rolls out more promotions and deals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

Amy, a working mother with a toddler, said: "He was on formula and it was expensive for the tins. They never had offers or promotions."

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Those who lose jobs or decline promotions to let the children finish high school where they currently are sometimes relocate in place.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times