advertise

or ad·ver·tize

[ ad-ver-tahyz, ad-ver-tahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, ad·ver·tised, ad·ver·tis·ing.

1. to announce or praise (a product, service, etc.) in some public medium of communication in order to induce people to buy or use it:

   to advertise a new brand of toothpaste.

2. to give information to the public about; announce publicly in a newspaper, on radio or television, etc.:

   to advertise a reward.

3. to call attention to, in a boastful or ostentatious manner:

   Stop advertising yourself!

4. Obsolete. to give notice, advice, or information to; inform:

   I advertised him of my intention.

5. Obsolete. to admonish; warn.

verb (used without object)

, ad·ver·tised, ad·ver·tis·ing.

1. to ask for something by placing a notice in a newspaper, over radio or television, etc.:

   to advertise for a house to rent.

2. to offer goods for sale or rent, solicit funds, etc., by means of advertisements:

   It pays to advertise.

3. Cards.
   1. Poker. to bluff so as to make the bluff obvious.
   2. Rummy. to discard a card in order to induce an opponent to discard one of the same suit or denomination.

advertise

/ ˈædvəˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to present or praise (goods, a service, etc) to the public, esp in order to encourage sales
2. to make (something, such as a vacancy, article for sale, etc) publicly known, as to possible applicants, buyers, etc

   to advertise a job

3. intrfoll byfor to make a public request (for), esp in a newspaper, etc

   she advertised for a cook

4. obsolete.
   to warn; caution

Derived Forms

• ˈadverˌtiser, noun

Other Words From

• ad·ver·tis·a·ble [ad, -ver-tahy-z, uh, -b, uh, l, ad-ver-, tahy, -], adjective
• adver·tiser noun
• over·adver·tise verb overadvertised overadvertising
• pre·adver·tise verb preadvertised preadvertising
• pre·adver·tiser noun
• re·adver·tise verb readvertised readvertising
• un·adver·tised adjective
• well-adver·tised adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of advertise¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English advertisen, from Middle French avertiss-, long stem of avertir, from Vulgar Latin advertire (unrecorded), Latin advertere “to pay attention,” literally, “to turn toward” ( advert ¹ ); the expected Middle English advertishen (unrecorded) probably conformed to advertisement or the suffix -ize

Word History and Origins

Origin of advertise¹

C15: from a lengthened stem of Old French avertir, ultimately from Latin advertere to turn one's attention to. See adverse

Example Sentences

There’s a truism in advertising that sex sells.

From Salon

Should the deal go through, the Onion will have an exclusive advertising agreement with the gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety.

From Los Angeles Times

Back in Twitter's heyday, the site made the vast majority of its money through advertising.

From BBC

However, our investigation suggests they are still making their way onto Britain's streets because some retailers are breaching - knowingly or unwittingly - the latest restrictions on advertising and selling them.

From BBC

It marks a milestone for Netflix’s efforts to expand its live programming as it tries to boost its growing advertising business.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• announce
• communicate
• disclose
• display
• endorse
• exhibit
• proclaim
• promote
• reveal
• sponsor
• tout