advocacy
Americannoun
plural
advocaciesnoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of advocacy
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English advocacye, from Medieval Latin advocātia; see advocate, -acy
Explanation
When you give your active support to an idea or cause, you are showing your advocacy for that cause. Your advocacy for an animal rights group might help raise money to save stray pups. The noun advocacy comes to English from a term used in Roman law. An advocate was a professional whose job was to plead cases in front of a court of law. That meaning led to the verb form advocate, as well as advocacy, to describe the work of an advocate. "The lunchroom staff were advocates for healthier school lunches; their advocacy was supported by parents and the school board; however, the students were reluctant to give up their cookies and chips."
Vocabulary lists containing advocacy
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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.
Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, called it a "monstrous theft of taxpayer resources."
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
Brennan Gilmore, executive director of Clean Virginia, a political advocacy organization formed to counter Dominion Energy, urged state officials to scrutinize the deal.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
“It was about being punitive,” said Steven Fulop, CEO of the Partnership for New York City, a business advocacy group.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Geeta returned to her work in patient advocacy at a law firm a few years ago and is now arranging the second South Asian Maternal Health Conference.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
More than forty years later, civil rights advocacy is stuck in a model of advocacy King was determined to leave behind.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
