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
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:
Debra Tate, Sharon Tate’s sister, has been an outspoken advocate for keeping Krenwinkel and other former followers of Manson behind bars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
"This is independent - I think that's absolutely crucial. I am an independent voice and advocate of service people and their families."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
In Mid Michigan, voter frustration about the high cost of rent has helped propel William Lawrence into a rare position: Polls show the affordable-housing advocate and Democratic candidate running for U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The office will also oversee the Armed Forces Chaplains Board and advocate for funding for religious programs across the military.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
But who is there to advocate for a scythe felled by foul play?
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Legal advocates say such decisions are all too common.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The conclusions were made after committee members heard from doctors, advocates and experts from countries that do allow assisted dying for people solely with mental illness, like the Netherlands and Belgium.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The Franco-German paper also advocates derisking, although it doesn’t name China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The opinion of privacy advocates who have weighed in on this requirement generally boils down to: Anyone doing this should have their head examined.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Civil rights advocates considered and rejected two other black women as plaintiffs when planning a test case challenging segregation practices: Claudette Colvin and Mary Louise Smith.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
"For years, Aylo has advocated for device-based age verification as the most effective and privacy-protecting approach to help prevent minors from accessing age-inappropriate content online," said Aylo's vice-president of brand and community Alex Kekesi.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 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
Through works spanning two centuries and more than 60 tribes and nations, the exhibition shows how these often marginalized groups represented, celebrated and advocated for themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Which apparently was written by a group of terribly advanced monks who sort of advocated this really incredible method of praying.”
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
"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
She’d do so in part by advocating for expanded financial aid and proactive check-ins with students.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
I’m not advocating for speeding, but you’re not bound by the confines of traffic, where you have a stoplight at every block.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
Lanning stopped short of advocating for a suspension for Stephens, saying that was the purview of the Big Ten and USC.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
He stressed the ANC’s long history of advocating change, noting that the ANC was the oldest national African organization in the country, having been founded in 1912.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
