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 new season also begins with promotion and relegation officially scrapped from the division.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

“It wasn’t offering any promotion or deal or anything,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Maeda joins the Tractor Boys following their promotion back into the top flight after they finished second in the Championship under McKenna last season.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

The report said the probe uncovered “no conclusive evidence” Neal and Clement were in a romantic relationship, or that her promotion had been handled incorrectly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Probably he’s figuring out when his promotion is likely to be announced, if all goes well.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Mr. Junger is correct in that at the core of the capabilities of our fighting force is the intense training and standards that must be met in advance of promotions and deployments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Yu expects margins of 18%, down from 19.2% in the prior quarter, citing strong sales offset by promotions.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 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

“Think you can get us some promotions with them raises?”

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas