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
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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:
Trying to advertise on TikTok has also become "like an obstacle course", O'Neill added.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
“If you use AI to advertise your restaurant, market, or anything else,” one person wrote, “I will know that you don’t care about food or the planet and I will never ever patronize your business.”
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Hourly installation and maintenance jobs tied to data centers advertise pay about 42% higher than comparable roles elsewhere.
From MarketWatch ● 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
They walked about miserably, silently, until sundown, neither of them able to advertise themselves.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
Both also directly target state residents: Gatalog advertises a “California Compliant Glock 19-based Carbine kit,” while Polymakers’ website features Proposition 65 warnings and state-specific privacy opt-out features.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
The resort advertises a program in which it leases units purchased by investors, but it declined to say if Paxton’s properties were enrolled in it.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 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
A WhatsApp chat which advertises stock in corner shops - including some offering delivery - has attracted thousands of followers in a matter of days.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
His address was easy to find— I Googled him and found www.shipwellconsulting.co.uk, the site where he advertises “a range of consultancy, cloud- and web-based services for business and nonprofit organizations.”
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Rather than something to be played down, working yourself to the bone is to be bragged about—and advertised for up front.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Peden told the inquest he bought a second-hand one online advertised as in "perfect working order" around 9 June.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
It also sweetened advertised salaries for new captains and first officers, according to its website.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Zanotta advertised the first beanbag chair, the polystyrene-filled “Sacco,” as “A Big Bag, a Soft Seat.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
As O’Dell had advertised, Dorothy was indeed there, sitting across from me.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
New campaign finance filings revealed that much of the advertising flurry was funded by one highly motivated donor: Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
The advertising agency has since acknowledged its mistake and refunded the money.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Antonia set up a Facebook page and began advertising on Gumtree.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
That would undermine the advertising opportunity investors are counting on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
It’s smack in the center of the menagerie, under rays of glorious light, surrounded by banners advertising sarsaparilla, Cracker Jack, and frozen custard.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
