advocate
Americanverb (used with object)
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advocates,
present (3rd person singular)
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advocated,
past participle, past
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advocating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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advocates,
present (3rd person singular)
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advocated,
past participle, past
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advocating
present participle
noun
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advocates
plural
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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
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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:
The city’s independent ratepayer advocate Timothy O’Connor agreed that high temperatures were a big driver of the skyrocketing bills, with more people moving into Tier 2 and Tier 3.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Those we know of were established by an organisation co-founded by Yanar Mohammed, an internationally recognised women's rights advocate.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
She has since become an advocate for people living with the chronic neurological disease.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
“This is a case of American doing what their rivals have already been doing,” said Bill McGee, a consumer advocate and senior fellow for aviation at American Economic Liberties Project.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
So far, Gandhi was being a lawyer, an advocate, pleading with whites to offer better treatment for Indians.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
The joint hearing of the Senate’s Special Committee on International Sporting Events and the Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Arts brought together about 100 city and county officials, LA28 Cultural Olympiad leaders and arts advocates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Yet, recent research, external from Brookings Institution, a non-partisan policy research group, found that a new data centre creates between 100 and 200 local jobs, which is "fewer than industry advocates claim".
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
More than 50,000 Israelis are expected to travel home to cast their ballots, according to the Aid Coalition, a US-based NGO that advocates for Israeli democracy.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Still, consumer advocates warn that introducing probabilistic rewards into daily retail purchases normalizes speculative risk in everyday life.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Some parts of that learning could be taken over by the advocates of the new chemistry, but much of it had to be abandoned as incomprehensible and unreproducible.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The first legislative elections since 2006, which the international community has strongly advocated for, had been scheduled for November 28, with a presidential election expected in early 2027.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
The doctor advocated for their right to attend a local hospital instead of being required to travel further afield for medical treatment, Pitt Rivers Museum said.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
On his campaign website, he advocated for a system that is “fair, secure and welcoming to those who follow the rules.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Earlier this month, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei advocated for a slowdown of AI development to prevent harmful behaviors from AI models.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
As Martin J. S. Rudwick puts it, "No geologist of any nationality whose work was taken seriously by other geologists advocated a timescale confined within the limits of a literalistic exegesis of Genesis."
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
By advocating for voting early, the "No Kings" organizers hope to cut off the potential for any malfeasance once election day rolls around.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Both women had spent years advocating for Palestinian rights while maintaining relationships with Jewish organizations.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
The news conference, attended by more than a dozen parents, was organized by California Rising, a nonprofit that describes itself as advocating for public safety, and cleaner, stronger neighborhoods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
"We're really clear that acting on AI is not the same thing as advocating for it or promoting it," he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Digby was advocating a much simpler chemical powder which could be dissolved in water and easily carried with one into battle.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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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.
