advocate
Americanverb (used with object)
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advocates,
present (3rd person singular)
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advocated,
past participle, past
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advocating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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advocates,
present (3rd person singular)
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advocated,
past participle, past
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advocating
present participle
noun
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advocates
plural
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a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc. (usually followed byof ).
an advocate of peace.
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a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor.
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a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law.
verb
noun
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a person who upholds or defends a cause; supporter
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a person who intercedes on behalf of another
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a person who pleads his client's cause in a court of law See also barrister solicitor counsellor
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Scots law the usual word for barrister
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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advocatornoun
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nonadvocatenoun
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preadvocatenoun
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subadvocatenoun
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preadvocateverb (used with object)
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readvocateverb (used with object)
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advocativeadjective
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advocatoryadjective
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unadvocatedadjective
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well-advocatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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advocatesimple
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advocatessimple
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have advocatedperfect
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has advocatedperfect
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am advocatingprogressive
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are advocatingprogressive
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is advocatingprogressive
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have been advocatingperfect progressive
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has been advocatingperfect progressive
Past
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advocatedsimple
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had advocatedperfect
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was advocatingprogressive
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were advocatingprogressive
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had been advocatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of advocate
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin advocātus “legal counselor,” originally past participle of advocāre “to call to one's aid,” equivalent to ad- ad- + vocāre “to call” (akin to vōx voice ); replacing Middle English avocat, from Middle French
Explanation
An advocate (AD-və-kit) is someone who supports a cause, like an advocate for outdoor recess. Advocate (AD-və-kate) is also a verb meaning to speak in favor of, so you can advocate for that outdoor recess by urging your school to play outside! As a noun, an advocate is a person who represents another person’s interests, like a lawyer does. In fact, the word comes from the courtroom — it’s from Latin advocare, to “add” a “voice.” To advocate is to add a voice of support to a cause or person. An advocate is anyone who adds that voice by representing another person in court, or by supporting or working toward a particular course of action.
Vocabulary lists containing advocate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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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:
I’m sure we could find people out there who advocate that.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
On one side: beef ranchers and dairy operators who advocate sustainable and organic food and land practices; they note the seashore was established, in part, to preserve their way of life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Over the last six days of talks, Figuera met separately with representatives of political prisoners, retirees and media workers and promised to advocate for their demands.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Cindy Butts, the independent public advocate, says victims' constant need to fight for support is a "stain on our society"
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
He is the migrants’ strongest advocate in Nuevo Laredo.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
I’m wondering if the justices are themselves creating these absurd notions or if appellate advocates are suggesting and steering the justices toward these contrived ways of thinking.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
After the bill was moved to the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this year, animal advocates reached out to state Senate Pro Tempore Monique Limón’s office to question the move.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
NYC Common Sense, a nonpartisan advocacy group, filed a lawsuit in June challenging Mr. Mamdani’s “directive ending criminal enforcement of e-bike violations” on behalf of safety advocates, “vulnerable pedestrians” and victims of this e-bike terror.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Talarico’s campaign emphasizes the need to get the government out of private personal decisions, and the Democrat advocates for a version of Christianity that accepts all people as made in God’s image.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
The final stage has been dubbed by some advocates as the “period of invisible punishment.”
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
The company advocated value-based policies and “went to people across the political spectrum to build support.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Now 84, Sanders has advocated for universal healthcare since the 1970s while watching Americans fall deeper into medical debt.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Petro, the first left-wing politician to be elected president of Colombia, advocated what he called a "total peace" strategy, which prioritised negotiation over confrontation.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Until his victim’s sister read his apology letter, visited him, and advocated for his release, he told me, “I used to worry about that all the time.”
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
A recent bestseller advocated “zero tolerance” for errors and brandished the words horror, satanic, ghastly, and plummeting standards on its first page.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
His policy platform often lampoons mainstream politics while drawing on genuine public anger and frustrations, and advocating in support of democracy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
She said the group had long been advocating "for an end to the automatic assumption that someone in their home or private life is a potential customer."
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The company was among those to sign a letter advocating for access to open models, urging U.S. policymakers to exercise caution on potential restrictions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
He credited making the runoff election to his years in the community advocating for anti-displacement measures for tenants and lowering the rent cap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
He interpreted Bodin, quite wrongly, as advocating a very large sphere of earth floating in a sphere of water, thus retaining the core principles of a traditional Aristotelian argument.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
