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:
El-Sayed said his campaign had no involvement with the advertisement and explicitly rejected its contents Saturday.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
Of course, if you see hashtags like #ad, #sponsored, #paid or #paidpartnership on a post, that means it’s an advertisement.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
In that MLB advertisement, the one that featured Ohtani, the league acknowledged that its screaming headline was not exactly accurate.
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
The midday post had brought an advertisement promoting the skills of a local chimney sweep.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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This week, the Federal Trade Commission, joined by 20 states, alleged the company routinely charges customers more at the register than the prices displayed on shelves and in advertisements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
Google's omnipresent search engine now defaults to AI summaries of a person's query, and that hit the number of advertisements it was able to sell during the quarter.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Many of those dreamy trips are effectively advertisements masquerading as tips, and the price tags can be eye-watering.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
On October 14, MBL and NRK had also threatened to sue Meta, accusing the American giant of profiting from fraudulent advertisements impersonating them in order to defraud internet users.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
European newspapers, letters from earlier immigrants, and advertisements from steamship companies were filled with accounts of tables groaning with food in a country where everyone could get rich.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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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.