advertise
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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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overadvertiseverb
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advertisernoun
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readvertiseverb
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preadvertisernoun
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preadvertiseverb
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advertisableadjective
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well-advertisedadjective
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unadvertisedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have advertisedperfect
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has advertisedperfect 3rd person singular
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is advertisingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are advertisingprogressive
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have been advertisingperfect progressive
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am advertisingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been advertisingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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advertisingparticiple
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advertisessingular 3rd person
Past
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had advertisedperfect
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had been advertisingperfect progressive
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was advertisingprogressive singular
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were advertisingprogressive plural
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advertisedparticiple
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advertisedsimple
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.
Pure Living has erected a poster in its Cambridge shopfront, written in Mandarin, looking for help using the social media platforms WeChat and Xiaohongshu to advertise homes in the city.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
She recalls their brief exchange at the rededication of Notre-Dame Cathedral in December 2024, a photograph of which Trump later used to advertise a Trump-branded cologne.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
State consumer laws don’t let businesses advertise products as something they’re not.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Sophie has been added to messaging lists where third parties advertise driving tests for sale around Britain for hundreds of pounds.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
Perhaps she, too, would advertise her presence in this way.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
