advertise
Americanverb (used with object)
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advertises,
present (3rd person singular)
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advertised,
past participle, past
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advertising
present participle
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to announce or praise (a product, service, etc.) in some public medium of communication in order to induce people to buy or use it.
to advertise a new brand of toothpaste.
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to give information to the public about; announce publicly in a newspaper, on radio or television, etc..
to advertise a reward.
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to call attention to, in a boastful or ostentatious manner.
Stop advertising yourself!
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Obsolete. to give notice, advice, or information to; inform.
I advertised him of my intention.
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Obsolete. to admonish; warn.
verb (used without object)
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advertises,
present (3rd person singular)
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advertised,
past participle, past
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advertising
present participle
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to ask for something by placing a notice in a newspaper, over radio or television, etc..
to advertise for a house to rent.
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to offer goods for sale or rent, solicit funds, etc., by means of advertisements.
It pays to advertise.
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Cards.
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Poker. to bluff so as to make the bluff obvious.
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Rummy. to discard a card in order to induce an opponent to discard one of the same suit or denomination.
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verb
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to present or praise (goods, a service, etc) to the public, esp in order to encourage sales
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to make (something, such as a vacancy, article for sale, etc) publicly known, as to possible applicants, buyers, etc
to advertise a job
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to make a public request (for), esp in a newspaper, etc
she advertised for a cook
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obsolete to warn; caution
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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advertisernoun
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preadvertisernoun
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overadvertiseverb
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preadvertiseverb
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readvertiseverb
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advertisableadjective
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unadvertisedadjective
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well-advertisedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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advertisesimple
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advertisessimple
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have advertisedperfect
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has advertisedperfect
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am advertisingprogressive
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are advertisingprogressive
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is advertisingprogressive
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have been advertisingperfect progressive
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has been advertisingperfect progressive
Past
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advertisedsimple
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had advertisedperfect
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was advertisingprogressive
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were advertisingprogressive
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had been advertisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of advertise
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English advertisen, from Middle French avertiss-, long stem of avertir, from Vulgar Latin advertire (unrecorded), Latin advertere “to pay attention,” literally, “to turn toward” ( see advert 1); the expected Middle English advertishen (unrecorded) probably conformed to advertisement or the suffix -ize
Explanation
The verb advertise means to publicize a service or product in order to try to get you to buy or use it. If you see people eating delicious-looking chocolate in a television commercial, for example, you'll probably want to buy it. You don't have to use television, radio, or print media to advertise something — or even try to sell it at all. In fact, the word advertise can also simply mean to call attention to something. Your neighbors might advertise their lottery win by parking flashy cars in the driveway and having an endless supply of packages delivered to their house.
Vocabulary lists containing advertise
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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:
Another possible explanation involves aposematism, a defensive strategy in which animals display conspicuous colors to advertise that they are poisonous or otherwise dangerous.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
Trying to advertise on TikTok has also become "like an obstacle course", O'Neill added.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Tau doesn’t specifically advertise folding clothes as a capability on its website right now.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
“If you use AI to advertise your restaurant, market, or anything else,” one person wrote, “I will know that you don’t care about food or the planet and I will never ever patronize your business.”
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
“I’m not sure if you know this about me, because I don’t advertise it, but I’m a trans man,” he began.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Both also directly target state residents: Gatalog advertises a “California Compliant Glock 19-based Carbine kit,” while Polymakers’ website features Proposition 65 warnings and state-specific privacy opt-out features.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
On its website, it advertises an antidrone package that detects and classifies incoming drones through artificial intelligence and engages them if hooked up to the right air-defense system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
She was checking people in on the pier for a separate boat tour to Sazan on a replica galleon that advertises the opportunity to “be a pirate for a day.”
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
A WhatsApp chat which advertises stock in corner shops - including some offering delivery - has attracted thousands of followers in a matter of days.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
“Any merchant who advertises ‘Honest Scales’ must have been thinking about weighting them,” she says.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
Meranda, 34, bought a necklace advertised on Etsy as handmade sterling silver but says after a few days of wearing it her "neck started getting really irritated".
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
The state has a long history of being promised jobs and economic development that turned out not to be as robust as advertised, she added.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
The price for what Villa Vie had advertised as “permanent residency” subsequently increased.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
For example, "Chloe" was advertised as being in Belfast for 24 hours.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Abhilash Talkies advertised itself as the first cinema hall in Kerala with a 70mm CinemaScope screen.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Fox News’ audience also declined during that quarter, and the company reported lower digital news advertising revenue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Management concedes that in mature markets such as the U.S., growth will now come mostly from higher prices and advertising.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Humans are innately wired to value effort, said Greg Hahn, the co-founder and chief creative officer of advertising agency Mischief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Facing tighter recruitment battles, private colleges are now advertising affordability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
When I was here last, with Bas’s family, a colorful banner hung from its face, advertising the holiday pantomime.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
