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

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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

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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

A promotion for the show “How to With John Wilson,” which he executive produced, escalated into a sketch about Fielder mentoring a group of influencers in a “TikTok Hype House,” even controlling what they eat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Finally, the researchers studied shareholder reaction to the promotion of a cooperative CEO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

But among executives who regularly invited other colleagues to speak on calls, the promotion rate was about twice as high at 13%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Sunderland spent £161m on 15 new players after gaining promotion to the Premier League in the summer of 2025.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

Probably nothing in the way of promotion Holman’s Department Store ever did attracted so much favorable comment as the engagement of the flag-pole skater.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Discounts and promotions can only go so far if consumers still consider your brand expensive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Much subsequent conversation has focused on whether companies that receive tariff refunds would cut prices, but some recipients have told investors that portions will go toward promotions and brand investments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Silva, 29, enters the contest on a 14-fight win streak across different promotions and is the favourite to capture the vacant title after Valentina Shevchenko was forced to vacate the belt last month through injury.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

The situation only got worse as WWE muscled out nearly all regional promotions.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

Dorothy wielded her influence to win promotions for both Katherine and her white colleague.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

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