promoter

American  

[pruh-moh-ter] / prəˈmoʊ tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that promotes, furthers, or encourages.

2. a person who initiates or takes part in the organizing of a company, development of a project, etc.

3. a person who organizes and provides financial backing for a sporting event or entertainment.

4. Chemistry. any substance that in small amounts is capable of increasing the activity of a catalyst.

5. Also called collector.  Metallurgy. a water-repellent reagent enhancing the ability of certain ores to float so that they can be extracted by the flotation process.

6. Genetics.

   1. a site on a DNA molecule at which RNA polymerase binds and initiates transcription.

   2. a gene sequence that activates transcription.

7. Obsolete. an informer.

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promoter British  

/ prəˈməʊtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that promotes

2. a person who helps to organize, develop, or finance an undertaking

3. a person who organizes and finances a sporting event, esp a boxing match

4. chem a substance added in small amounts to a catalyst to increase its activity

5. genetics a sequence of nucleotides, associated with a structural gene, that must bind with messenger RNA polymerase before transcription can proceed

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promoter Scientific  

/ prə-mō′tər /

1. The region of an operon that acts as the initial binding site for RNA polymerase.

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Other Word Forms

• self-promoter noun

Etymology

Origin of promoter

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; promote + -er ¹; replacing earlier promotour, from Anglo-French

Explanation

If you’ve been trying to get anyone and everyone to go see your friend’s band perform, then you could call yourself a promoter of that band. A promoter is a supporter, advocate, or booster for a person, group, or event. A promoter is an active supporter of something. A promoter of democracy, for example, is someone who tries to spread democracy throughout the world. Being a promoter is also a profession; one might be hired to make arrangements and generate publicity for some form of public entertainment, like a boxing match or a concert. Perhaps if you tell enough people about your friend's band, the band will hire you as its official promoter.

Example Sentences

Crampsie, who is known as a promoter on Glasgow's nightlife and events scene, has about 5,500 followers on Instagram and 6,000 on TikTok.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

The Olympic boxing gold medalist turned professional world champion said the reforms "align directly" with Zuffa Boxing, a recently launched Saudi-owned boxing promoter that is a joint venture with UFC's parent company TKO Group Holdings.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

AI and the BBC readers also managed six correct results but with no exact scores, for a total of 60 points - the same tally as Chris's guest, boxing promoter Frank Warren.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

The federal government allowed the deal during the Obama administration, prompting worries that the combination of the largest concert promoter and ticketing company would harm consumers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

But nineteenth-century America was full of “humbug,” a word used for the types of entertainment popularized by renowned promoter P. T. Barnum.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• advertiser
• advocate
• backer
• booster
• organizer
• publicist
• sponsor