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

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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

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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

"It was promotion of their business, but it was also you know claiming themselves as artists."

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Nearly 20% of the more than 3,000 caregivers surveyed stopped work entirely to focus on caregiving, while 24% took unpaid leave and 22% passed up a promotion or other career opportunity.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

Although her books were hugely successful in America, she never really found the fame she merited here in the UK, partly because of her reticence to do any promotion.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

A promotion for the show “How to With John Wilson,” which he executive produced, escalated into a sketch about Fielder mentoring a group of influencers in a “TikTok Hype House,” even controlling what they eat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

"Didn't make what I should have done. Mean crowd, the Purcell gang. I got my promotion, though."

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

For the Cod Army, who won six promotions in 12 years in their impressive journey from non-league, this result will surely be remembered longest of all.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Research suggests that employees who stick around win faster promotions and more pay than serial job switchers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

"There is some discontent among the rank and file, but they keep it to themselves out of respect for the institution and fear of losing promotions," he added.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

Over the summer, management said too many promotions run simultaneously had made messaging less clear for staff and for customers.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

And then we were onto this whole thing, about Coke fights, and Coke floats, and Coke promotions, and we went on and on and on, but Violet didn’t say anything else, just sat there silently.

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

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