advertising

American  

[ad-ver-tahy-zing] / ˈæd vərˌtaɪ zɪŋ /

Or advertizing

noun

1. the act or practice of calling public attention to one's product, service, need, etc., especially by paid announcements in newspapers and magazines, over radio or television, on billboards, etc..

   to get more customers by advertising.

2. paid announcements; advertisements.

3. the profession of planning, designing, and writing advertisements.

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advertising British  

/ ˈædvəˌtaɪzɪŋ /

noun

1. the promotion of goods or services for sale through impersonal media, such as radio or television

2. the business that specializes in creating such publicity

3. advertisements collectively; publicity

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Other Word Forms

• counteradvertising noun
• proadvertising adjective
• proadvertizing adjective
• self-advertising adjective

Etymology

Origin of advertising

First recorded in 1520–30; advertise + -ing ¹

Explanation

Advertising is the act of drawing the public’s attention to something, usually to sell it. Whatever is written on the sandwich board you're wearing is what you're advertising. Advertising is getting the word out — whether it’s on a billboard, in a magazine ad, on a commercial, on the side of a blimp, or by singing it from the highest mountaintop. If you want to let people know about a product, service, or candidate, you run an advertising campaign. The word advertising may also be used for the advertisements themselves or the business of creating advertisements.

Example Sentences

Dr Emma Connolly, from University College London's department of political science, who specialises in how political narratives spread on social media, said spending on paid advertising online by political parties has been growing.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

Still, the money being raised by the major mayoral candidates will be critical as they seek to purchase television advertising, social media ads and other campaign essentials.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

She is also backing an advertising campaign to encourage people to invest, funded by some of the UK's biggest financial services firms.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Comcast stemmed subscriber losses for its critical domestic residential broadband business in its latest quarter and saw increased advertising revenue from the Olympics and Super Bowl.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

I put Annie in charge of writing all our advertising.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman