promotion

American  

[pruh-moh-shuhn] / prəˈmoʊ ʃən /

noun

promotions plural

1. advancement in rank or position.

2. furtherance or encouragement.

3. the act of promoting.

4. the state of being promoted.

5. something devised to publicize or advertise a product, cause, institution, etc., as a brochure, free sample, poster, television or radio commercial, or personal appearance.

6. Also called queening.  Chess. the replacement of a pawn that has reached the enemy's first rank by a more powerful piece of the same color, usually a queen.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpromotion
  noun
• prepromotion
  noun
• self-promotion
  noun
• promotional
  adjective
• unpromotional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• promotions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of promotion

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin prōmōtiōn-, stem of prōmōtiō “movement forward, advancement”; equivalent to promote + -ion

Explanation

A promotion is a raise in pay or stature, or it's a way to raise the profile or attention of something. If you create an advertising promotion that increases sales of spray jeans in a can, for example, you might get a promotion to company vice-president. Words that start with pro- usually hint at something positive or forward moving, and a promotion is a moving up or a motion forward. A product promotion pushes the item out in front so it gets more exposure, and a work or school promotion raises your salary or moves you up a grade. If you’re in the military a promotion means a higher rank, with more people under your command, and the same happens if you earn a promotion in a club or organization like the scouts.

Example Sentences

He still has a copy of the programme from when the Tigers won promotion to the second division in 1966, though the original was lost when his previous caravan burnt down when he was 21.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

He left for Burnley in 2023 and impressed in their promotion to the Premier League two years later, only to return to City last summer with the objective of being Pep Guardiola's number one.

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026

Polymarket and Virality targeted dozens of videos by Adin Ross, a 25-year-old manosphere phenom with millions of followers, for promotion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 21, 2026

A recent promotion offered to deposit $14 into new accounts opened by high-school students.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

In a true reflection of his optimism, he’d recently put his name in for a promotion.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama