advertise

American  

[ad-ver-tahyz, ad-ver-tahyz] / ˈæd vərˌtaɪz, ˌæd vərˈtaɪz /

Or advertize

verb (used with object)

advertised, advertising

1. 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.

2. to give information to the public about; announce publicly in a newspaper, on radio or television, etc..

   to advertise a reward.

3. to call attention to, in a boastful or ostentatious manner.

   Stop advertising yourself!

4. Obsolete. to give notice, advice, or information to; inform.

   I advertised him of my intention.

5. Obsolete. to admonish; warn.

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verb (used without object)

advertised, advertising

1. to ask for something by placing a notice in a newspaper, over radio or television, etc..

   to advertise for a house to rent.

2. to offer goods for sale or rent, solicit funds, etc., by means of advertisements.

   It pays to advertise.

3. Cards.

   1. Poker. to bluff so as to make the bluff obvious.

   2. Rummy. to discard a card in order to induce an opponent to discard one of the same suit or denomination.

advertise British  

/ ˈædvəˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to present or praise (goods, a service, etc) to the public, esp in order to encourage sales

2. to make (something, such as a vacancy, article for sale, etc) publicly known, as to possible applicants, buyers, etc

   to advertise a job

3. to make a public request (for), esp in a newspaper, etc

   she advertised for a cook

4. obsolete to warn; caution

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Other Word Forms

• advertisable adjective
• advertiser noun
• overadvertise verb
• preadvertise verb
• preadvertiser noun
• readvertise verb
• unadvertised adjective
• well-advertised adjective

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” ( 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.

Example Sentences

Until recently, he used the community group's website to advertise his legal work.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

To advertise her business, she affixed a decal and phone number to her white 1984 Pontiac Fiero, a sporty two-seater with retractable headlights.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

The segment was previously seen as a growth driver by offering a regulatory compliant channel for pharmaceutical companies to communicate and advertise to patients directly, diversifying away from the SaaS platform.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

He set a plan in motion that would let the company advertise to car dealers that Santander Consumer wasn’t going to ask anymore for proof of income, or “POI,” in order to issue a loan.

From Salon • Mar. 30, 2026

“I come about that porter job you got advertise in the paper.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Related Words

• announce
• communicate
• disclose
• display
• endorse
• exhibit
• proclaim
• promote
• reveal
• sponsor
• tout