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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

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.

Sometime around 2022, I saw a poster on the outside of the bar.

From Slate • Jun. 14, 2026

Billed as the new poster boy for Bosnian football, the German-born winger has often been used as a substitute at international level, including both play-off ties, but started both friendlies before the World Cup.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

Fishtown, once a poster child of working-class decline, is booming.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

"Ebola really kills," a poster at the entrance warns.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

Now I realize it was a missing and wanted poster.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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