promote
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
Under former general manager Perry Minasian, college players would be stoked to be drafted by the Angels, who did not hesitate to promote top prospects to the major leagues after the briefest of minor-league stints.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
"In an 'M1' state, microphages promote inflammation to fight damage or infection, but prolonged M1 activity can also harm healthy tissue," Subramanian notes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
"The referendum is the cloud over everything," said Corey Hogan, a Liberal MP from Calgary who invited dozens of his colleagues from across the country to this year's stampede to promote unity.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Mr. Newsom said the tax cut would promote “the long-term success of the legal industry.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
It seemed to many, including Karl Marx who published the first part of Das Kapital in 1867, to promote nothing but widespread poverty, inequality and hopelessness.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
This configuration helps reduce electrical resistance and promotes more even temperature distribution throughout the cell.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
The California Partners Project is a nonprofit that promotes gender equity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Entrata has a separate property-management-facing website, RentDynamics.com, that promotes RentPlus as a way for property managers to increase net operating income.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
Ms. Reinsve is his therapist and the author of a self-help book she promotes with TV commercials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 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
He is the vice president of baseball operations after being promoted in 2024 from vice president of amateur scouting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Just outside the ring, Edison’s latest invention—a kinetograph, the first motion-picture camera—was recording the fight, which lasted “six slashing rounds,” according to a poster that later promoted the contest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
These immune cells then released inflammatory signaling molecules, including TNF-α and IFN-γ, which strengthened the immune response and promoted cancer cell death.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
He was promoted to the role of senior team manager just a few months later after Regragui resigned in the aftermath of the senior African Nations Cup debacle.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
His rites had gone so well that, immediately after his initiation, he’d been promoted to a kapteni, a captain, despite his youth.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
A brilliant cameo from Aniston promoting her new cookbook, with such adventurous epicurean dishes as “boiled hot dogs and peas,” serves as the film’s inciting event.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
It has been a bumpy return to the UK for Prince Harry, in a visit promoting the Invictus Games for injured service men and women.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Our employment practices are merit-based and focused on recruiting and promoting the best talent in the world,” it said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
The "Oppenheimer" and "The Dark Knight" director is promoting his latest blockbuster, an adaptation of the Greek epic "The Odyssey".
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Leukemia may occur as a two-step process, the malignant change being initiated by X-radiation, the promoting action being supplied by a chemical, as, for example, urethane.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
