adman

American

[ad-man, -muhn] / ˈædˌmæn, -mən /

noun

plural

admen

Also called advertising man. one whose profession is writing, designing, or selling advertisements.
a printer or compositor who specializes in setting advertisements.

adman British

/ ˈædˌmæn, -mən /

noun

informal a person who works in advertising

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of adman

1905–10; ad ¹ + man or -man

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.

While others window-shopped for inspiration he was his own adman, pushing imagery that would become as recognizable as any logo dreamt up by a Madison Avenue firm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

British "adman" Rory Sutherland, who has spent 37 years in the heart of the advertising world, currently as vice-chairman of Ogilvy, fully approves of the Waleses' approach to striking a more modern tone.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025

With the vote to amend the city’s noise ordinances, Minneapolis would become the first major American city to allow all five broadcasts of the Muslim call to prayer, or adman.

From Washington Times • Apr. 14, 2023

One of the more touching anecdotes in the film was adman Ron Barrett's campaigns to help bolster the Automat during its decline.

From Salon • Feb. 17, 2022

Kindly refrain yourself from the adman jargon and attempts to snow the troops.

From Telempathy by Simonds, Vance

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023