publicity

American  

[puh-blis-i-tee] / pʌˈblɪs ɪ ti /

noun

1. extensive mention in the news media or by word of mouth or other means of communication.

2. public notice so gained.

3. the measures, process, or business of securing public notice.

4. information, articles, or advertisements issued to secure public notice or attention.

5. the state of being public, or open to general observation or knowledge.

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publicity British  

/ pʌˈblɪsɪtɪ /

noun

1. 1. the technique or process of attracting public attention to people, products, etc, as by the use of the mass media

   2. ( as modifier )

      a publicity agent

2. public interest resulting from information supplied by such a technique or process

3. information used to draw public attention to people, products, etc

4. the state of being public

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Other Word Forms

• nonpublicity noun
• overpublicity noun
• propublicity adjective
• superpublicity noun

Etymology

Origin of publicity

1785–95; < French publicité < Medieval Latin pūblicitās. See public, -ity

Explanation

Publicity is a public message whose purpose is to let people know about something, like a concert or a new product. If you go around town putting up posters that advertise a community production of "Annie," you are helping with the play's publicity. In the business world, it's common to hear the terms "publicity campaign" and "publicity stunt." Originally, the word publicity was used to mean "condition of being public," and it wasn't until 1826 that it took on a marketing or advertising meaning.

Example Sentences

Sheffield's economy is boosted by £4.5m each year by the event, with a media value - exposure through free publicity - worth over £3m on top.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

The company was on an amazing run of publicity in general—all of which revolved around people liking its chatbot Claude a lot.

From Slate • Apr. 14, 2026

The Gates Foundation is headed by Bill Gates, who has been the subject of unfavorable publicity due to his association with Epstein including added details in the latest batch of Epstein files.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

The era when delighting the public and media and driving endless free publicity for the AI revolution is over.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

“And,” said Marjory, “from what I’ve heard, he never once came back here until he cooked up his crazy scheme to build a new library in the old bank building as a big publicity stunt.”

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• attention
• clout
• commercial
• distribution
• fame
• hoopla
• hype
• noise
• notoriety
• propaganda