advertisement
Americannoun
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advertisements
plural
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a paid announcement, as of goods for sale, in newspapers or magazines, on radio or television, or on the internet.
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a public notice, especially in print.
-
the action of making generally known; a calling to the attention of the public.
The news of this event will receive wide advertisement.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of advertisement
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French avertissement; see origin at advertise, -ment
Explanation
A public notice promoting the sale of a certain item is called an advertisement. The word is often shortened to ad. They're on TV, on the radio, online, in the paper — you can't even escape advertisements at the movies. Although advertisements are usually meant to persuade, they aren't always just for selling goods. They're a great way to get the word out on just about anything. You can place an advertisement for all kinds of things: to look for your long-lost sister, to hire an employee, or to announce a local dance. Even way back in the 1600s, the British were posting advertisements for trips to a newfound place called "Virginia."
Vocabulary lists containing advertisement
Media Literacy - High School
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Media Literacy - Middle School
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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:
Major League Baseball wrapped a postseason advertisement around the front page of The Times this week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
No details so far are known about how much money the U.S. government paid to show the advertisement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
I found Sedona Quantum Consciousness online, via an advertisement for its Cell-Well Medbed, which appeared in photos to be a souped-up tanning bed.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
After a week in which countless female athletes denounced a controversial sports betting company advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney, Ohanian said he wanted Friday's event to put the attention back on the "actual athletes".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Matilda, there is nothing I’d rather do than run an advertisement for your mother. But look about you.”
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Facebook then used that information to show Salazar targeted advertisements.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
Talarico has already faced AI-generated advertisements and baseless claims that he is vegan, an apparently disqualifying dietary choice in the barbecue-heavy southern state.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
In July, open-source research organisation Myanmar Witness revealed that they had analysed hundreds of missing-person advertisements collected from Facebook between 2021 and 2025.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
One Shandong-based ship staffing company is even offering as much as $25,000 per round trip as reward, according to seafarers and recruitment advertisements seen by The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Andy—called “Harold” by Rob and all his Kiwi friends— was a big, sturdy lad, built like an NFL quarterback, with rugged good looks of the sort that earn men roles in cigarette advertisements.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
