promotion

American  

[pruh-moh-shuhn] / prəˈmoʊ ʃən /

noun

promotions plural

1. advancement in rank or position.

2. furtherance or encouragement.

3. the act of promoting.

4. the state of being promoted.

5. something devised to publicize or advertise a product, cause, institution, etc., as a brochure, free sample, poster, television or radio commercial, or personal appearance.

6. Also called queening.  Chess. the replacement of a pawn that has reached the enemy's first rank by a more powerful piece of the same color, usually a queen.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpromotion
  noun
• prepromotion
  noun
• self-promotion
  noun
• promotional
  adjective
• unpromotional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• promotions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of promotion

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin prōmōtiōn-, stem of prōmōtiō “movement forward, advancement”; equivalent to promote + -ion

Explanation

A promotion is a raise in pay or stature, or it's a way to raise the profile or attention of something. If you create an advertising promotion that increases sales of spray jeans in a can, for example, you might get a promotion to company vice-president. Words that start with pro- usually hint at something positive or forward moving, and a promotion is a moving up or a motion forward. A product promotion pushes the item out in front so it gets more exposure, and a work or school promotion raises your salary or moves you up a grade. If you’re in the military a promotion means a higher rank, with more people under your command, and the same happens if you earn a promotion in a club or organization like the scouts.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

promotion promotions

Maeda joins the Tractor Boys following their promotion back into the top flight after they finished second in the Championship under McKenna last season.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

The raffle has become a family project, and their children have helped with promotion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

The report said the probe uncovered “no conclusive evidence” Neal and Clement were in a romantic relationship, or that her promotion had been handled incorrectly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Keegan guided the club to promotion to the Premier League in 1992-93 before leading them to second place in 1995-96.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Mia and Maxine also took over promotion for the event, and all of us have been passing out flyers at Northside and St. Francis.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson

Verizon noted that its top-line total reflected a nearly 20% drop in equipment revenue as the company pulled back on device promotions and saw customers hold on to phones for longer.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Dosanjh said the uncertainty surrounding the film's release was why its makers had kept promotions to a minimum.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Given their similarities in age and the timing of their promotions, Anderson is seen as competing with Matthieu Blazy, 42, who was appointed by fellow French fashion behemoth Chanel last year.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

Brian Roberts joined Comcast as a high school intern, setting up supermarket promotions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

I’d also heard that Mrs. Vaughan was standing up for the Colored women she supervised, helping them to get better assignments, as well as the promotions and raises they’d previously been denied.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson