classified advertising

American  

noun

1. classified ads collectively.

2. the business or practice of selling space for classified ads.

3. the department of a newspaper or other publication that handles classified advertising.

---

Etymology

Origin of classified advertising

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Example Sentences

In 2024, the Berlin-based company announced a decision with KKR, its largest shareholder, to split its classified advertising business from its media operations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Romano came to the Voice at the tail end of its heyday in the late ’90s, just as the specter of Craigslist was darkening the paper’s future by threatening its goldmine in classified advertising .

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2024

The European Commission on Monday said it warned Meta that it is breaching EU antitrust laws by distorting competition in online classified advertising and abusing its dominant position.

From Reuters • Dec. 20, 2022

“Google and others have transformed traditional retailing, classified advertising with search and massive scale digital publishing, gutting traditional media business models,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2022

For the first, nothing is better than newspaper classified advertising, particularly that found in the Sunday paper.

From If You're Going to Live in the Country by Lieberman, Frank