advancement

American  

[ad-vans-muhnt, -vahns-] / ædˈvæns mənt, -ˈvɑns- /

noun

1. the act or process of moving forward.

   They hoped that destroying bridges around the metropolis would slow the advancement of enemy troops.

2. promotion in rank or standing; preferment.

   She had high hopes for advancement in the company.

3. development toward increased understanding, quality, utility, or benefit to human welfare in a consequential area of knowledge, technology, or practice.

   She toiled in the lab out of personal ambition, not for the advancement of medical science.

4. an achievement or result contributing to progress in a consequential area of knowledge, technology, or practice.

   Advancements in robotics will transform industry.

5. Law. money or property given by one person during their lifetime to another that is considered an anticipation of an inheritance and is therefore to be deducted from any share that the recipient may have in a donor's estate.

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advancement British  

/ ədˈvɑːnsmənt /

noun

1. promotion in rank, status, etc; preferment

2. a less common word for advance advance

3. property law the use during a testator's lifetime of money or property for the benefit of a child or other person who is a prospective beneficiary in the testator's will

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Other Word Forms

• nonadvancement noun
• self-advancement noun

Etymology

Origin of advancement

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English avauncement, from Anglo-French, Old French avancement; advance, -ment

Example Sentences

The basic idea is these computers are now advancing technology and processing time and speed at an arc that is not commensurate with the arc of technological advancement over the past 100 years.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

That is an amazing advancement for individual productivity.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

The 22 companies that got high marks across the board in the Where You Work Matters List share several practices, from hiring people early in their careers to training them relentlessly and aiding their advancement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

What the latest plan would achieve, though, is advancement, a leap from the chamber’s present logjams to new ones.

From Slate • Mar. 24, 2026

Once Hamilton encountered a major obstacle to the advancement of any cause in which he believed, he instinctively hurled himself onto the offensive, never looked back, and waited for no stragglers.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• advance
• growth
• improvement
• upgrading