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Synonyms

poster

1 American  
[poh-ster] / ˈpoʊ stər /

noun

  1. a placard or bill posted or intended for posting in a public place, as for advertising.

  2. a large print of a painting, photograph, etc., used to decorate a wall.

    posters of street scenes.

  3. a person who posts bills, placards, etc.

  4. Digital Technology. a person who posts or submits an online message to a message board.

    The previous poster in this thread was off-topic.
poster 2 American  
[poh-ster] / ˈpoʊ stər /

noun

  1. post horse.

  2. Archaic. a person who travels rapidly.

poster British  
/ ˈpəʊstə /

noun

  1. a large printed picture, used for decoration

  2. a placard or bill posted in a public place as an advertisement

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of poster1

First recorded in 1830–40; post 1 + -er 1

Origin of poster2

First recorded in 1595–1605; post 3 + -er 1

Vocabulary lists containing poster

Lesson 6

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Additional Literary Terms, Unit 1

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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.

That afternoon in 2025, with his shellacked coif flapping against his bronzed forehead in the wind, the president held up hastily-assembled poster boards bearing the names of the world’s countries and territories.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

“Cliffwater is the poster child for success in semiliquid funds,” says Brian Moriarty, a senior researcher at Morningstar, referencing the type of fund that allows investors to cash out slowly over time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Brad Flick, who retired as director of the center on March 20, recalled a poster outside his office depicting the Apollo moon landings: “The poster says, ‘Before we did it there, we practiced it here.’

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

A huge poster bears Kwankwaso's face, along with the words "welcome to ADC".

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

I cut out poster board and stacked it to mimic Dad’s topographical map, painting the whole thing in shades of green and brown.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

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.