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
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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:
As chief innovation officer at baby-care brand HealthyBaby, Swank and the company’s founder-CEO helped advocate for the passage of new California legislation that requires brands to provide more transparency into diaper ingredients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
In recent years, she became a public advocate for Assembly Bill 1901.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
She now wants to encourage other women to get any unusual symptoms checked and to advocate for themselves.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
She has since become an advocate for people living with the chronic neurological disease.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
He never played devil’s advocate or told me what I was feeling was wrong, the way Stephen Kellner did.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
L.A. has long suffered an identity crisis, caught between the single-family homes of its past and the multifamily developments that density advocates say are needed for its future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Yet, recent research, external from Brookings Institution, a non-partisan policy research group, found that a new data centre creates between 100 and 200 local jobs, which is "fewer than industry advocates claim".
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
More than 50,000 Israelis are expected to travel home to cast their ballots, according to the Aid Coalition, a US-based NGO that advocates for Israeli democracy.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Still, consumer advocates warn that introducing probabilistic rewards into daily retail purchases normalizes speculative risk in everyday life.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Some became trustees, mentors, and advocates against violence among inmates.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
The first legislative elections since 2006, which the international community has strongly advocated for, had been scheduled for November 28, with a presidential election expected in early 2027.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Bunnie said she had been willing to put the work in, noting that she had advocated for them to attend couple’s therapy.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
"For years, Aylo has advocated for device-based age verification as the most effective and privacy-protecting approach to help prevent minors from accessing age-inappropriate content online," said Aylo's vice-president of brand and community Alex Kekesi.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
On his campaign website, he advocated for a system that is “fair, secure and welcoming to those who follow the rules.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The fiscal goals Hamilton proposed were synonymous with the national vision Madison had advocated at the Constitutional Convention and in The Federalist Papers.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
By advocating for voting early, the "No Kings" organizers hope to cut off the potential for any malfeasance once election day rolls around.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
As Swank, star of films “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby,” grew her family, she also turned her focus to advocating for babies’ health.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
"We're really clear that acting on AI is not the same thing as advocating for it or promoting it," he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
I’m not advocating for speeding, but you’re not bound by the confines of traffic, where you have a stoplight at every block.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
After receiving a standing ovation for a speech at Washington University in St. Louis advocating a test ban, Pauling launched a petition drive among scientists calling for an immediate international halt to all nuclear testing.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
