promote
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to help or encourage to exist or flourish; further.
to promote world peace.
- Antonyms:
- obstruct, discourage
-
to advance in rank, dignity, position, etc. (demote ).
-
Education. to put ahead to the next higher stage or grade of a course or series of classes.
-
to aid in organizing (business undertakings).
-
to encourage the sales, acceptance, etc., of (a product), especially through advertising or other publicity.
-
Informal. to obtain (something) by cunning or trickery; wangle.
verb
-
to further or encourage the progress or existence of
-
to raise to a higher rank, status, degree, etc
-
to advance (a pupil or student) to a higher course, class, etc
-
to urge the adoption of; work for
to promote reform
-
to encourage the sale of (a product) by advertising or securing financial support
-
chess to exchange (a pawn) for any piece other than a king when the pawn reaches the 8th rank
Other Word Forms
- prepromote verb (used with object)
- promotability noun
- promotable adjective
- promotion noun
- promotional adjective
- self-promoting adjective
- unpromotable adjective
- unpromoted adjective
Etymology
Origin of promote
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English promoten, from Latin prōmōtus, past participle of prōmovēre “to move forward, advance”; pro- 1, motive
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.
Nile plans to get them back up and running both as media businesses in their own right and to help promote other companies she intends to co-found with creators, athletes and other celebrities.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Attaching an analyst’s personal brand to an investment product could create an incentive to promote the investment and its holdings favorably, or could be interpreted as an endorsement, legal experts say.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
In February, the American Academy of Pediatrics called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to promote measles vaccines and deploy more support to outbreak areas as cases surge.
From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026
While many users promote the health and mental benefits of sauna use, the science behind this is nuanced.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
“Reducing the black-white test score gap,” wrote the authors of one study, “would do more to promote racial equality than any other strategy that commands broad political support.”
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.
