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advise

American  
[ad-vahyz] / ædˈvaɪz /

verb (used with object)

  • advises,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • advised,
    past participle,  past
  • advising
    present participle
  1. to give counsel to; offer an opinion or suggestion as worth following.

    I advise you to be cautious.

    Synonyms:
    caution, admonish, counsel
  2. to recommend as desirable, wise, prudent, etc..

    He advised secrecy for the sake of national security.

    Synonyms:
    suggest
  3. to give (a person, group, etc.) information or notice (often followed byof ).

    The investors were advised of the risk. They advised him that this was their final notice.

    Synonyms:
    acquaint, apprise, notify, inform

verb (used without object)

  • advises,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • advised,
    past participle,  past
  • advising
    present participle
  1. to take counsel; consult (usually followed bywith ).

    I shall advise with my friends.

    Synonyms:
    consult, deliberate, confer
  2. to offer counsel; give advice or recommend particular actions, conduct, etc..

    I shall act as you advise.

advise British  
/ ədˈvaɪz /

verb

  1. to offer advice (to a person or persons); counsel

    he advised the king

    to advise caution

    he advised her to leave

  2. formal to inform or notify

  3. obsolete to consult or discuss

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What's the difference between advise and advice? Advise is a verb that means to give advice—guidance about what someone should do. Despite their very similar spelling, advice and advise are pronounced differently. Advise rhymes with prize, while advice rhymes with ice. Because the two words are so closely related, they are often used in the same contexts, so the challenge is simply to remember which spelling to use for the noun and which spelling to use for the verb. Our advice? Remember that, unlike advise, advice never gets an s, even at the end (advice is a mass noun, so it’s never pluralized as advices). Here’s an example of advise and advice used correctly in a sentence. Example: I advise you to get some professional financial advice before you start a business. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between advise and advice.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of advise

First recorded in 1275–1325; late Middle English; replacing Middle English avisen, from Anglo-French, Old French aviser, verbal derivative of avis “opinion” (from a vis; see advice)

Explanation

To advise someone is to give them advice, or counsel. If you live in Iceland and a friend visiting you from Hawaii asks what he should pack, advise him to bring warm clothes and snow boots. Advise comes from a Latin word for vision. We want people to advise us if we think they can see the whole picture better than we can. For this reason, we often seek the advice of trained people. Financial advisors advise their clients on which funds to invest in. Legal advisors advise their clients on the law. To advise can also be to give notice. You should advise your boss of your decision to quit at least two weeks in advance.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing advise

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The BBC has been told the force did not advise any candidate that they should not attend the count.

From BBC Aug. 14, 2026

Others advise delaying Social Security benefits as long as possible, especially if you expect to live a long life.

From MarketWatch Aug. 12, 2026

McDonald’s said Erlinger made a personal decision to leave the company after more than two decades and will help advise the business through early next year.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 4, 2026

"Everyone is going back. I wouldn't advise anyone to come. We had a dream but they broke it," the aluminium joiner said, adding he would return to work on Monday,

From Barron's Aug. 1, 2026

In Mormonism, the priesthood is God’s power to act on earth—to advise, to counsel, to heal the sick, and to cast out demons.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

But Green advises it is "foolish" to develop land without permission because it "reduces... chances" of getting work eventually approved.

From BBC Aug. 15, 2026

Zissimos advises his clients to not fall for the faster but smaller vessels, since you’ll “get bumped around a little bit.”

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 13, 2026

"Be cautious of products sold online," advises the UKHSA.

From BBC Aug. 11, 2026

For a better view, the Royal Astronomical Society advises you try standing somewhere more elevated than the area around you "with a clear view of the western horizon".

From BBC Aug. 11, 2026

“Gregor, my wife fears the spinners may pass on our whereabouts to the rats. She advises that we escape with all speed.”

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

As a lot of smoke was coming from the building, people living nearby were being advised to keep their windows and doors shut.

From BBC Aug. 16, 2026

Shoppers trying to identify Taylor Farms products themselves have occasionally been advised to look for packaging codes beginning with “TF” or similar letters.

From Salon Aug. 14, 2026

We have now been advised that, because of the bonus, our ACA subsidy may be affected.

From MarketWatch Aug. 14, 2026

“We were advised to return the bonus and take out a home-equity loan.”

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 14, 2026

In January 1997, Bayona advised Farmer that if they wanted to get around the political roadblocks in Peru, they had to go to higher authorities.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

A study by financial advising company SmartAsset of the 94 largest population centers in the U.S. looked at real income growth in 2024, and the Orange County neighborhoods were in the top 15.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 12, 2026

Wells Fargo is advising investors to hedge into July’s consumer price index as its sentiment indicator hits its highest “sell” signal in more than eight years.

From MarketWatch Aug. 11, 2026

He said he spends about half of his time advising clients on how to keep Chinese parts out of systems.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 10, 2026

"We're advising that you continue to give children a vaccine that has decades of safety data," added Aaron M. Milstone, member of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases.

From Barron's Aug. 10, 2026

Dinwiddie had sent a special message to London, advising that French troops had marched out of New France and built two forts in the Ohio Valley, land claimed by Virginia.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

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