promote
Americanverb (used with object)
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promotes,
present (3rd person singular)
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promoted,
past participle, past
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promoting
present participle
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to help or encourage to exist or flourish; further.
to promote world peace.
- Antonyms:
- obstruct, discourage
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to advance in rank, dignity, position, etc. (opposed to demote).
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Education. to put ahead to the next higher stage or grade of a course or series of classes.
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to aid in organizing (business undertakings).
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to encourage the sales, acceptance, etc., of (a product), especially through advertising or other publicity.
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Informal. to obtain (something) by cunning or trickery; wangle.
verb
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to further or encourage the progress or existence of
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to raise to a higher rank, status, degree, etc
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to advance (a pupil or student) to a higher course, class, etc
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to urge the adoption of; work for
to promote reform
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to encourage the sale of (a product) by advertising or securing financial support
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chess to exchange (a pawn) for any piece other than a king when the pawn reaches the 8th rank
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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promotabilitynoun
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promotionnoun
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prepromoteverb (used with object)
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promotableadjective
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promotionaladjective
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self-promotingadjective
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unpromotableadjective
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unpromotedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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promotesimple
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promotessimple
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have promotedperfect
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has promotedperfect
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am promotingprogressive
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are promotingprogressive
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is promotingprogressive
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have been promotingperfect progressive
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has been promotingperfect progressive
Past
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promotedsimple
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had promotedperfect
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was promotingprogressive
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were promotingprogressive
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had been promotingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of promote
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English promoten, from Latin prōmōtus, past participle of prōmovēre “to move forward, advance”; see pro- 1, motive
Explanation
If you work for a marketing firm, your job is to promote new products — to publicize them and to try to get the public to buy them. The verb promote can also mean to advance to a higher position. Because of your hard work, your boss might decide to promote you. In school, passing students are promoted each year when they enter a higher grade. In chess, the verb promote is used when a pawn is exchanged for a higher ranking piece. Make sure you promote your pawn to a queen, giving you two queens on the board and a strong advantage in the game.
Vocabulary lists containing promote
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
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Words for Father's Day: What Fathers Do
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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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:
"The presence of even a small fraction of these tetraploid cells can promote the recruitment of extra non-cancerous cells that support further tumor progression," Sweet said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
“I want to really promote finding your real-life community,” Monáe says during a Zoom call ahead of the festive run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Corona Cero, the alcohol-free version of Corona sold by Anheuser-Busch InBev, is expanding an international seven-pack to promote the theme of a beer for every day of the week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Ministers say they will tighten up rules, promote competition and give customers clearer compensation routes if things go wrong.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
For her, that meant working to end slavery and to promote equality, including attending the World Anti-Slavery Convention.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
The office “takes seriously its responsibility to protect public funds and hold itself to the standards of accountability it promotes across state government,” the spokesperson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
To teachers, Google promotes that its AI reduces workloads, “deepens metacognition,” “inspires active learning” and “stimulates curiosity,” and that it can level the playing field for struggling and special-education students.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
This topic has become a subject for conversation in recent days following an interview Horner did with the Times, external as he promotes his new book.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Life Surge currently promotes its roster as “influential voices in faith & finance alongside leading worship artists.”
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
What is it that promotes an invention’s acceptance by a society?
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
When Barbabella was recently promoted to rear admiral, Trump presided over the ceremony, held in the Oval Office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Elon Musk promoted the story to his 241 million followers.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
The story goes that Bela Guttmann, fresh from winning the title with Porto, rocked up at Benfica, sacked all the senior players and promoted a talented bunch of youth team players instead.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
The company is also home to "Reese's Book Club", an online reading community whose promoted titles are sometimes adapted for the screen.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
They that kicks and makes a noise Gets promoted into hoys.
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
Hardware stores across the country are promoting their shop cats as ambassadors and social media stars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
"AI can also have a detrimental impact on climate change from that angle," said Maria Joao Sousa, executive director of Climate Change AI, a nonprofit promoting the use of AI for climate action.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Ministers said they would work with industry to "develop a regulatory regime for the heating oil market, protecting consumers and promoting competition".
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” singer has experienced broken ribs because of the spasms, she told Hoda Kotb on “Today” in 2024 while promoting the documentary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
And oh yes, we will be getting “little presents” now and then— ballpoint pens, coffee mugs, T-shirts promoting seasonal items.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
