advocate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc. (usually followed byof ).
an advocate of peace.
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a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor.
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a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law.
verb
noun
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a person who upholds or defends a cause; supporter
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a person who intercedes on behalf of another
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a person who pleads his client's cause in a court of law See also barrister solicitor counsellor
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Scots law the usual word for barrister
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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advocatornoun
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nonadvocatenoun
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preadvocatenoun
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subadvocatenoun
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preadvocateverb (used with object)
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readvocateverb (used with object)
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advocativeadjective
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advocatoryadjective
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unadvocatedadjective
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well-advocatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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advocatesimple
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advocatessimple
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have advocatedperfect
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has advocatedperfect
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am advocatingprogressive
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are advocatingprogressive
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is advocatingprogressive
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have been advocatingperfect progressive
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has been advocatingperfect progressive
Past
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advocatedsimple
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had advocatedperfect
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was advocatingprogressive
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were advocatingprogressive
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had been advocatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of advocate
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin advocātus “legal counselor,” originally past participle of advocāre “to call to one's aid,” equivalent to ad- ad- + vocāre “to call” (akin to vōx voice ); replacing Middle English avocat, from Middle French
Explanation
An advocate (AD-və-kit) is someone who supports a cause, like an advocate for outdoor recess. Advocate (AD-və-kate) is also a verb meaning to speak in favor of, so you can advocate for that outdoor recess by urging your school to play outside! As a noun, an advocate is a person who represents another person’s interests, like a lawyer does. In fact, the word comes from the courtroom — it’s from Latin advocare, to “add” a “voice.” To advocate is to add a voice of support to a cause or person. An advocate is anyone who adds that voice by representing another person in court, or by supporting or working toward a particular course of action.
Vocabulary lists containing advocate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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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:
But Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde argued that the state and the judiciary should do more to ensure Khan's safety.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
US tech giant Meta, once a vocal open-source advocate, has stepped back from that.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Other Democratic candidates across the country are using their lived experiences to advocate for structural economic and political change.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Trip-related problems are so common, in fact, that consumer advocate Christopher Elliott has stitched an entire career out of resolving them — from timeshare scams to horrible airline customer service and beyond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
For the victims—and their advocate in Terryl—the year 2008 evolved into one of living with uncertainty, under the haze of an amorphous legal cloud, and an emotional one.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
The broader question raised by press advocates for years is why such information became a matter of public concern in the first place.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Religious leaders, scholars, advocates, parents, professionals and policymakers can curtail abuses and promote human dignity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Some advocates cite a 2018 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Warren Buffett that was headlined “Short-Termism Is Harming the Economy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
And just a few weeks ago, civil rights lawyers joined with parents’ and children’s advocates to bring landmark class-action litigation to end illegal family separations.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
States’-rights advocates from surrounding Southern towns were up in arms.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
Years before his diagnosis, Pat Aust advocated to install a sprinkler system inside the care home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Bunnie, on the other hand, said she had been willing to put the work in, noting that she had advocated for them to attend couple’s therapy together.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 4, 2026
Grant advocated black civil rights, but political support for Reconstruction was waning due to economic uncertainty and political resistance in the South.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
It is a tome, 'Head North,' which Westminster is now re-devouring, poring over for clues about his instincts and how much of what he advocated then he will actually seek to deliver in government.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
The fiscal goals Hamilton proposed were synonymous with the national vision Madison had advocated at the Constitutional Convention and in The Federalist Papers.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
The Paris government will have been told that Burnham, at least in a loose kind of way, is pro-European, but that he is very deliberately not advocating a return to the EU.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Later the same day, he wrote in the post, Graham was advocating for rail legislation that Vance supported.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
The day after bouncing the U.S., the federation said it was still advocating for a review of the procedures that let Balogun play.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"We will continue advocating for the innovation and privacy our European customers deserve," Apple added in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Also I beg you to buy those necessary supplies I took the liberty of advocating, as I would like you to begin using oils as soon as possible.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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.
