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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

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.

Defa Press, which is affiliated with Iran’s Defense Ministry, published a recruitment poster featuring a teenage boy and a veiled girl, both smiling.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

There is the obvious link with Salah widely seen as a poster boy for both the Middle East and Arab world and such a connection will be massive.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

She long dreamed of becoming an astronaut, she has said, noting the poster of the iconic "Earthrise" image plastered to the wall of her childhood bedroom.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

ChatGPT’s performance would be alarming enough given that ChatGPT is the poster child for the AI “revolution.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

G’ma would notice a random poster in a gas station.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

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.