advertise
Americanverb (used with object)
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advertises,
present (3rd person singular)
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advertised,
past participle, past
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advertising
present participle
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to announce or praise (a product, service, etc.) in some public medium of communication in order to induce people to buy or use it.
to advertise a new brand of toothpaste.
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to give information to the public about; announce publicly in a newspaper, on radio or television, etc..
to advertise a reward.
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to call attention to, in a boastful or ostentatious manner.
Stop advertising yourself!
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Obsolete. to give notice, advice, or information to; inform.
I advertised him of my intention.
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Obsolete. to admonish; warn.
verb (used without object)
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advertises,
present (3rd person singular)
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advertised,
past participle, past
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advertising
present participle
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to ask for something by placing a notice in a newspaper, over radio or television, etc..
to advertise for a house to rent.
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to offer goods for sale or rent, solicit funds, etc., by means of advertisements.
It pays to advertise.
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Cards.
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Poker. to bluff so as to make the bluff obvious.
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Rummy. to discard a card in order to induce an opponent to discard one of the same suit or denomination.
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verb
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to present or praise (goods, a service, etc) to the public, esp in order to encourage sales
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to make (something, such as a vacancy, article for sale, etc) publicly known, as to possible applicants, buyers, etc
to advertise a job
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to make a public request (for), esp in a newspaper, etc
she advertised for a cook
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obsolete to warn; caution
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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advertisernoun
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preadvertisernoun
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overadvertiseverb
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preadvertiseverb
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readvertiseverb
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advertisableadjective
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unadvertisedadjective
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well-advertisedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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advertisesimple
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advertisessimple
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have advertisedperfect
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has advertisedperfect
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am advertisingprogressive
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are advertisingprogressive
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is advertisingprogressive
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have been advertisingperfect progressive
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has been advertisingperfect progressive
Past
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advertisedsimple
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had advertisedperfect
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was advertisingprogressive
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were advertisingprogressive
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had been advertisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of advertise
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English advertisen, from Middle French avertiss-, long stem of avertir, from Vulgar Latin advertire (unrecorded), Latin advertere “to pay attention,” literally, “to turn toward” ( see advert 1); the expected Middle English advertishen (unrecorded) probably conformed to advertisement or the suffix -ize
Explanation
The verb advertise means to publicize a service or product in order to try to get you to buy or use it. If you see people eating delicious-looking chocolate in a television commercial, for example, you'll probably want to buy it. You don't have to use television, radio, or print media to advertise something — or even try to sell it at all. In fact, the word advertise can also simply mean to call attention to something. Your neighbors might advertise their lottery win by parking flashy cars in the driveway and having an endless supply of packages delivered to their house.
Vocabulary lists containing advertise
If I Stay
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Media Literacy - Middle School
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Media Literacy - Introductory
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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:
She doesn’t advertise and she doesn’t have a studio.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
The data show many Hamptons-bound flights operated by companies such as Flexjet traveling at around 1,000 feet, a fraction of the average cruising altitudes they advertise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Hourly installation and maintenance jobs tied to data centers advertise pay about 42% higher than comparable roles elsewhere.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
In its defense, Finch does not advertise itself as fixing the root of what is causing us to be so unwell.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
“They treat me very well. And I don’t know how I go about it. Sometimes I even have to rent a hall and advertise, sometimes I speak to the principal of the high school.”
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
She was checking people in on the pier for a separate boat tour to Sazan on a replica galleon that advertises the opportunity to “be a pirate for a day.”
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
During one of our weekly coffee dates, two friends shared their recent experience at a store that advertises “top dollar” for gold, silver, jewelry, coins and other valuable items.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
The physician behind it advertises direct consultations costing as much as $18,000.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Pronto advertises hourly services ranging from window cleaning to "after-party express clean-ups", while Urban Company offers everything from repairs to salon treatments at the touch of a button.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
He would blame the change in his life on one job—a warehouse job, working for a large corporation which today advertises its products with the smiling faces of children.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
A "damning" report found that the shortfall is double the advertised vacancies, "putting patients at risk".
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Cole called Wolfe “the driving force from day one. He collected it, he sold it, he advertised it. His unique personality goes along with the collection in many respects.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Automakers and many dealers contend that keeping their advertised prices from going too low makes things more transparent for car buyers, not less.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Among the convention’s big winners were companies promising to help people buy citizenship elsewhere or, as one such company advertised, “diversify your passport portfolio.”
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Even the screen on the door advertised a brand of bread.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
An advert for Huel meal replacement shakes has been banned by the advertising watchdog for encouraging or condoning "irresponsible" dietary practices.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Deutsche Bank analysts said Netflix could also use AI to personalize users’ interactions with the platform and make advertising more targeted and precise.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
The new law bars sellers from advertising, listing or selling tickets they don’t possess or have the legal right to receive, unless the event’s presenter or venue allows it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Uber says most operators have come around to its safari offering, but it is pointedly advertising at Nairobi’s international airport, not on the side of its vehicles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
The 1970s were the years of Nixon’s visit to China, the advent of Transcendental Meditation, cigarette advertising being banned from the airwaves, and fast-food chains multiplying.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
