advert
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
adverts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adverted,
past participle, past
-
adverting
present participle
-
to remark or comment; refer (usually followed byto ).
He adverted briefly to the news of the day.
- Synonyms:
- allude
-
to turn the attention (usually followed byto ).
The committee adverted to the business at hand.
noun
-
adverts
plural
noun
verb
Usage
What does advert mean? Advert is short for advertisement. It is primarily used in the U. K. in the same way that American speakers use the word ad. Advert is also a verb that means to call attention to or reference something. This is easy to remember since the purpose of advertisements is to get your attention. Example: There are way too many adverts on this page.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
advertsimple
-
advertssimple
-
have advertedperfect
-
has advertedperfect
-
am advertingprogressive
-
are advertingprogressive
-
is advertingprogressive
-
have been advertingperfect progressive
-
has been advertingperfect progressive
Past
-
advertedsimple
-
had advertedperfect
-
was advertingprogressive
-
were advertingprogressive
-
had been advertingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of advert1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English a(d)verten, from Old French a(d)vertir (with ad- replacing a- a- 5 ), from Latin advertere “to pay attention,” literally, “to turn toward,” from ad- ad- + vertere “to turn”
Origin of advert2
By shortening
Explanation
This one's easy. An advert is an advertisement: just shorten advertisement, and you get advert. As a verb, to advert to something means to refer to it. The noun advert (AD-vert) shows up mostly in England, where people use it interchangeably with advertisement, as in "Did you see that advert in the paper? If you buy two pairs of socks, you get a third pair free!" The verb advert (ad-VERT), on the other hand, means to "make reference to," like the way your mom might advert to your messy room and unfinished chores when you complain that you're bored.
Vocabulary lists containing advert
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Meanwhile Joe Marler, probably still edging Pollock in the crossover star stakes, has previously taken to the field with an advert for team-mate Olly Kohn's sausage company shaved into his head.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
A three-minute advert break during a Women's Champions League game was not scheduled, Disney+ confirmed.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
British sprinter Amy Hunt says she is concerned about the controversial advert starring Sydney Sweeney being part of a "barrier" to girls' participation in sport.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The clues hinting at a Celtic Park gig include an advert for a £55.84 family chippy bundle and a poster for radio station Sol FM 98 92.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
I could see it written really large, like it was on a big advert on the side of a bus.
From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon
Premature is the first feature film Kevin has directed, having worked on short films and adverts in the past.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
The agency advertised the events as taking place in Saint Petersburg's Gazprom Arena, with the stadium itself sharing adverts for the upcoming concert on its Telegram account.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Regular clips include men and women competing in various golf challenges, while Good Good also creates made-for-TV shows as well as adverts for golf clothing and other merchandise.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
The company has previously got into hot water with the UK advertising watchdog, which has banned some of its adverts for making "misleading" claims.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
‘It looks funny, people walking around like signposts, or billboard adverts.’
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
On his person he bore the marks of these perils of the laboratory; but they were little heeded by him, and, when adverted to, always afforded him the occasion of some good-humoured pleasantry.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 17, 2015
I'm not certain how disaster can be adverted when an inferior service will cost more money.
From Economist ● Dec. 14, 2013
It was strange she never once adverted either to her mother’s illness, or her brother’s death, or the present gloomy state of the family prospects.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Two things in this part of the chapter have yet to be adverted to.
From The Expositor's Bible: The First Book of Samuel by William Garden Blaikie
Having thus briefly adverted to the causes which led to the breakdown of the transport train, I continue my journal.
From March to Magdala by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
The decline in ratings has put pressure on adverting dollars as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the consortium, welcomed the delay on adverting rules as "one less distraction" for companies looking to focus on keeping prices down.
From BBC ● May 14, 2022
The human element in this example could have played multiple factors in adverting the breach or at the very least discovered it a lot sooner.
From Forbes ● Jan. 5, 2015
Much of this tracking is for adverting purposes: to collect data on you to show you more relevant ads.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2013
Millicent was very kind to me; but I was quite timid of adverting to my auspices, and I dared not introduce the subject, as none of them could feel as I did.
From Charles Auchester, Volume 1 of 2 by Elizabeth Sheppard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
