advertise
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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:
He would advertise his services by posting leaflets through front doors across England including in Kent, Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Harmont & Blaine sponsored a chalet on the edge of the Olympic slopes in the resort of Cortina and used photos of the nearby Olympic rings to advertise a collection on social media.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Some people will make it on purpose, because they want to advertise a happy World Cup visitor as proof of what the country is doing right.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
Brands like Marc Jacobs and Crocs have already positioned the storytelling format as a way to advertise new products and reach new audiences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
It says the third step to finding a lost dog is to advertise.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
Pronto advertises hourly services ranging from window cleaning to "after-party express clean-ups", while Urban Company offers everything from repairs to salon treatments at the touch of a button.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
On its official website, the court advertises itself to visitors as the “final arbiter of the law,” and thus the Constitution’s “guardian and interpreter.”
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
Ofcom's proposed measures are targeting content which advertises products or services in a way that misleads or tricks viewers.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The event advertises “free bowl cuts” and a limited supply of sunglasses — a nod to Tree’s distinct look — and is slated to run from 5 to 8 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
“Any merchant who advertises ‘Honest Scales’ must have been thinking about weighting them,” she says.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
The event was advertised as a "disco run".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
None of the jobs advertised were to create AI that wrote scripts or created AI actors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
The event was advertised almost exclusively offline, with flyers wheatpasted to construction scaffolding and guidebooks available at independent bookstores.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Curries, pasta dishes, and pizzas were among the foods most likely to have higher salt levels than advertised.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
I had grabbed a can of soup on my way home and a loaf advertised as “Health Bread” that was suspiciously spongy.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
Its all-white dress code for players, minimalist court-side advertising and association with strawberries and cream all remain fiercely guarded traditions.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Alphabet, despite the sharp selloff on Thursday, is still primarily funding its investments with cash generated by its existing businesses, including Google Search and advertising.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Co-CEO Mike Cavanagh said that performance “reinforces the value of NBC, Telemundo, Bravo, and Peacock together as one integrated media business with continued opportunity to drive stronger engagement, advertising, and profitability into the future.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Heading into Wednesday’s earnings, analysts were looking for an indication of how consumer AI adoption is affecting web search, the central pillar of Google’s advertising business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“You can see him on every line. He hand-fed each word to the Courier. He’ll go far, that fellow. This is better advertising for his company and himself than you can pay out money for.”
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
