advocate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc. (usually followed byof ).
an advocate of peace.
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a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor.
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a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law.
verb
noun
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a person who upholds or defends a cause; supporter
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a person who intercedes on behalf of another
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a person who pleads his client's cause in a court of law See also barrister solicitor counsellor
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Scots law the usual word for barrister
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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advocatornoun
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nonadvocatenoun
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preadvocatenoun
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subadvocatenoun
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preadvocateverb (used with object)
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readvocateverb (used with object)
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advocativeadjective
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advocatoryadjective
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unadvocatedadjective
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well-advocatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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advocatesimple
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advocatessimple
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have advocatedperfect
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has advocatedperfect
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am advocatingprogressive
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are advocatingprogressive
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is advocatingprogressive
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have been advocatingperfect progressive
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has been advocatingperfect progressive
Past
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advocatedsimple
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had advocatedperfect
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was advocatingprogressive
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were advocatingprogressive
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had been advocatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of advocate
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin advocātus “legal counselor,” originally past participle of advocāre “to call to one's aid,” equivalent to ad- ad- + vocāre “to call” (akin to vōx voice ); replacing Middle English avocat, from Middle French
Explanation
An advocate (AD-və-kit) is someone who supports a cause, like an advocate for outdoor recess. Advocate (AD-və-kate) is also a verb meaning to speak in favor of, so you can advocate for that outdoor recess by urging your school to play outside! As a noun, an advocate is a person who represents another person’s interests, like a lawyer does. In fact, the word comes from the courtroom — it’s from Latin advocare, to “add” a “voice.” To advocate is to add a voice of support to a cause or person. An advocate is anyone who adds that voice by representing another person in court, or by supporting or working toward a particular course of action.
Vocabulary lists containing advocate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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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.
See Examples For:
Will anyone take his place as an advocate for freedom and U.S. interests abroad?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The two leaders were in Washington to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Israel and advocate for US aid to Ukraine, who died earlier this month.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Your company’s human-resources advocate may also be able to escalate the issue with the insurer or negotiate on your behalf.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
He is a co-sponsor for the Black Student Union, the school climate advocate for the Black Student Achievement Plan and he runs a mentorship program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Once more we were privileged to have a brilliant and aggressive defense team, ably led by advocate Israel Maisels, and assisted by Bram Fischer, Rex Welsh, Vernon Berrange, Sydney Kentridge, Tony O’Dowd, and G. Nicholas.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Environmental advocates and many communities view the law—and the analysis it requires—as an essential way to understand major developments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
During his campaign, Erhurman, who advocates reunification of the island, had pushed for the resumption of negotiations with the Greek Cypriots.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
EdChoice, a group that advocates for these plans, estimated that more than 1.5 million students are taking advantage of them.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Immigrant rights advocates called those claims “a fiction.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
And the advocates of development are often from Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, or Brasilia, cities that are thousands of miles away from the Amazon and culturally almost as remote as environmentalists’ cities.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Instead, he has advocated for a more targeted approach in which rent increases are based on the physical condition of a building.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Burnham has long advocated for an underground four-platform "Kings Cross of the North" with a northern version of London's Elizabeth Line.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
But the assertion of tolls, however briefly advocated, is more telling.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
Shannon Camacho, an activist with the non-profit Inclusive Actions, which has advocated on behalf of street vendors, said violence against street-level food workers is under reported.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
The Jews excommunicated him because he advocated a pantheistic doctrine, something like the “allness of God,” or “God in everything.”
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Millard said Niesr was advocating for cost-of-living measures to be funded through higher taxes – "which could involve tax reform rather than higher marginal rates" – or spending cuts.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Like many of the artists and activists being targeted today, Smith’s writings advocating peace and equality for all people made her a primary target of the state.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
For years, the largest AI companies have been trying to get ahead of things, advocating proactively for regulations to place guardrails around the powerful technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Kreko noted that Polgar had international experience, having met dozens of world leaders in past decades while advocating for chess, talent development and education.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Material advocating the equality of whites and blacks?”
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
