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:
To the members of Good Good, it’s especially disheartening because they say they have sought to promote the inclusivity of women.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Dunkin' Donuts is experimenting with protein-boosted drinks and customisable cold options, recently partnering with celebrities like Kylie Jenner to promote limited‑time drinks.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
The title of the paper is "Nanomolar vanillin, an e-cigarette flavorant, appears to disrupt pluripotency and promote endodermal differentiation in human embryonic stem cells via TRPV4 activation."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Is the brokerage adviser conflicted and are they just going to try to promote their own products?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
“No you didn’t. You told me to promote him, didn’t you? “I told you not to promote him.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Alabama grandmother Kristina Hadley also promotes the programme to friends and family - even incorporating Imagination Library into baby gifts.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Upstairs, walking past a large poster of BTS, I met with Juanse Arenas, president of Hybe Global Label Services, who promotes artists outside of their home markets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The action "eliminates the final major barriers for private sector investment in Syria and promotes Syria's economic recovery and reintegration into the global economy," he said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
"We should not regard screen time solely as harmful but seek balance between physical activity and screen time that promotes active thinking," Jalanko summarizes.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
“This unassuming style promotes study, that’s why we adopt it,” returned Laurie, who certainly could not be accused of vanity, having voluntarily sacrificed a handsome curly crop to the demand for quarter-inch-long stubble.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Melatonin is often promoted as a safe sleep aid, but researchers say there is limited evidence about its cardiovascular safety when taken for extended periods.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
"When you get promoted, it's hard to balance against winning the Champions League with Chelsea," Lampard said.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
He promoted bikes not just as a sustainable mode of transportation but as an equitable one.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Ben's prediction: This has worked out in my favour, having two promoted teams playing each other.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Did Phineas Gage, The Man with a Hole in His Head, fit in with the other human oddities and strange wonders that Barnum promoted here with hype and hoopla?
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Supporters even flew a banner over downtown Nashville on Friday promoting the campaign.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
Over the past two decades, Sin City has cut its water consumption by a third, by promoting wastewater recycling and restricting lawn watering and swimming pool sizes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
If A.I. companies got into certain commercial models, they could start promoting sponsored results, such as pseudoscientific cures.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
That would be a scandal too, so the pressure runs toward parity in outcomes and toward promoting rather than developing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
As a result of the 1972 match, Fischer had more to do with promoting Iceland than anyone in modern times.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
