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:
After releasing multiple short teasers to promote its upcoming superhero crossover, Marvel Studios on Monday unveiled its official trailer for “Doomsday.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
She says many in her community are now receiving government support to promote and sell their non-coca crops and other foodstuffs.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Vicinanza has also worked to promote the Mediterranean diet beyond the laboratory, presenting it as a model not only for health, but also for culture and environmental sustainability.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
Unlike many social-media hacks, the comments posted to the Chesky account did not promote any particular service.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
I’ll ask Josiah if he’ll be our social media person and help us promote it.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
In May, Garcia appeared on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show to announce he would be facing Benn, but Oscar de la Hoya, who promotes the American, said the following month that no talks had taken place.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
His social media content, which promotes some unproven fertility protocols, has gone viral.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Mr. Merz hails from the free-market wing of his center-right Christian Democratic party, and his grand vision is of a German economy that promotes work, business growth and job creation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
This configuration helps reduce electrical resistance and promotes more even temperature distribution throughout the cell.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
This approach must go beyond the rhetoric of “community policing” to a method of engagement between and among people in the community that promotes trust, healing, restorative justice, and reparations.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
It didn’t help that Tracy’s first two months after being promoted from Triple-A didn’t appear to change much, casting doubts on Breslow’s future at the helm of the front office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Bruesewitz piled on, telling Carlson that Fine “has tweeted some ugly things, really ugly things,” and he promoted Fine’s primary challenger, celebrity gambler Dan Bilzerian.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Eric Washington was at a party promoted on TikTok, surrounded by people he called friends and family, as they celebrated America’s 250th anniversary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
They are commonly promoted as alternatives that provide sweetness with less sugar or fewer calories.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Yes, ma’am. Got promoted last week. They messed up, letting me and Marlon goof off out here.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Viegas D'Abreu, 43, is promoting himself as a representative of those born after the country's independence in 1975.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
They said the documentary's production staff gave several people instructions on how to watch it in the US, and also pointed to a post promoting the programme on X.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Asked about Moscow’s deepening ties with Pyongyang, China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing respects “the friendly exchanges” between the two countries and their relationship is “conducive to promoting peace and stability.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The Angels are accustomed to quickly promoting top talent, but last year’s No. 2 draft pick Tyler Bremner is battling injury and personal hurdles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Most of them involved an expert, or a gang of experts, promoting false information or hiding true information; in each case the experts were trying to keep the information asymmetry as asymmetrical as possible.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
