advise
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to give counsel to; offer an opinion or suggestion as worth following.
I advise you to be cautious.
-
to recommend as desirable, wise, prudent, etc..
He advised secrecy for the sake of national security.
- Synonyms:
- suggest
-
to give (a person, group, etc.) information or notice (often followed byof ).
The investors were advised of the risk. They advised him that this was their final notice.
verb (used without object)
-
to take counsel; consult (usually followed bywith ).
I shall advise with my friends.
- Synonyms:
- consult, deliberate, confer
-
to offer counsel; give advice or recommend particular actions, conduct, etc..
I shall act as you advise.
verb
-
to offer advice (to a person or persons); counsel
he advised the king
to advise caution
he advised her to leave
-
formal to inform or notify
-
obsolete to consult or discuss
Usage
What's the difference between advise and advice? Advise is a verb that means to give advice—guidance about what someone should do. Despite their very similar spelling, advice and advise are pronounced differently. Advise rhymes with prize, while advice rhymes with ice. Because the two words are so closely related, they are often used in the same contexts, so the challenge is simply to remember which spelling to use for the noun and which spelling to use for the verb. Our advice? Remember that, unlike advise, advice never gets an s, even at the end (advice is a mass noun, so it’s never pluralized as advices). Here’s an example of advise and advice used correctly in a sentence. Example: I advise you to get some professional financial advice before you start a business. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between advise and advice.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
advisesimple
-
advisessimple
-
have advisedperfect
-
has advisedperfect
-
am advisingprogressive
-
are advisingprogressive
-
is advisingprogressive
-
have been advisingperfect progressive
-
has been advisingperfect progressive
Past
-
advisedsimple
-
had advisedperfect
-
was advisingprogressive
-
were advisingprogressive
-
had been advisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of advise
First recorded in 1275–1325; late Middle English; replacing Middle English avisen, from Anglo-French, Old French aviser, verbal derivative of avis “opinion” (from a vis; see advice)
Explanation
To advise someone is to give them advice, or counsel. If you live in Iceland and a friend visiting you from Hawaii asks what he should pack, advise him to bring warm clothes and snow boots. Advise comes from a Latin word for vision. We want people to advise us if we think they can see the whole picture better than we can. For this reason, we often seek the advice of trained people. Financial advisors advise their clients on which funds to invest in. Legal advisors advise their clients on the law. To advise can also be to give notice. You should advise your boss of your decision to quit at least two weeks in advance.
Vocabulary lists containing advise
List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Beowulf vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
They also advise wariness in putting money into companies that are making growth promises much further in the future.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 9, 2026
Agriculture regulators advise home gardeners to either consume homegrown produce on site or not move it at all from the property to prevent the spread of the fly to nearby regions.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
Members pay around $200 to $300 per peptide, which includes meeting with a clinician to advise on their regimen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
Doctors generally advise taking it easy for a few days during recovery.
From Science Daily • Jun. 23, 2026
“One final thing. Mr. Shelton here has requested that we call Dr. Lopez, the district superintendent, to advise her of our findings. With any luck, Jake will be going back to school tomorrow.”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
