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

They also spent a season in League Two before promotion back in 2016-17.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

She said: "As it was with tobacco, strong controls on marketing and promotion will be key to reducing youth vaping."

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

His legal acumen and record now deserve broad GOP support as he’s considered for a promotion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

“They continue to be very affected by promotion patterns. So none of that has changed.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026

She was just as ambitious as Lac was and probably hoping for a promotion as well.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

For someone who has enjoyed a glittering 21-year career, winning titles across multiple promotions, you would think it would be difficult to pinpoint one standout moment.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Once elevated to his new posts, Salisbury took charge of carrying out the second Trump administration’s agenda for HSI, personally issuing staffing directives, reassignments and promotions, current and former agency officials told ProPublica.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

In addition to re-evaluating its creative and media strategies, Wright said Wendy’s aims to pull out of a cycle of promotions and collaborations to get back to a more long-term approach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Some promotions are attractive, but the headline rate doesn’t always apply to all the money you’re looking to invest.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

With these promotions, the Jaaxes sold their house in Aberdeen and moved back to Thurmont, in August 1989.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston