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

The raffle has become a family project, and their children have helped with promotion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

It offered a promotion and relegation pathway to and from LIV's series of $30m tournaments.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Under the old deal, the top two from the Asian Tour's order of merit gained promotion to LIV for its 2026 season.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Walmart cut the price of 24-packs of Coke and Pepsi to just under $10 in a summer promotion announced last week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Before Mom got the promotion, the whole family would prep dinner together, with Dad doing most of the work.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

Chief Executive Dan Schulman said the company is working to earn long-term retention based on value, rather than subsidized promotions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Verizon noted that its top-line total reflected a nearly 20% drop in equipment revenue as the company pulled back on device promotions and saw customers hold on to phones for longer.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Dozens of TikTok and Instagram promotions of “takeovers” of public spaces such as parks, malls and beaches have come to fruition across the U.S. in recent years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

Dosanjh said the uncertainty surrounding the film's release was why its makers had kept promotions to a minimum.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

I never thought much about promotions at the time, though.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac