Adjacent Words

Promote definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PROMO'TE, v.t. [L. promotus, promoveo, to move forward; pro and moveo, to move.]
1. To forward; to advance; to contribute to the growth, enlargement or excellence of any thing valuable, or to the increase of any thing evil; as, to promote learning, knowledge, virtue or religion; to promote the interest of commerce or agriculture; to promote the arts; to promote civilization or refinement; to promote the propagation of the gospel; to promote vice and disorder.
2. To excite; as, to promote mutiny.
3. To exalt; to elevate; to raise; to prefer in rank or honor.
I will promote thee to very great honors. Numbers 22.
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee. Proverbs 4.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: contribute to the progress or growth of; "I am promoting the use of computers in the classroom" [syn: promote, advance, boost, further, encourage]
2: give a promotion to or assign to a higher position; "John was kicked upstairs when a replacement was hired"; "Women tend not to advance in the major law firms"; "I got promoted after many years of hard work" [syn: promote, upgrade, advance, kick upstairs, raise, elevate] [ant: break, bump, demote, kick downstairs, relegate]
3: make publicity for; try to sell (a product); "The salesman is aggressively pushing the new computer model"; "The company is heavily advertizing their new laptops" [syn: advertise, advertize, promote, push]
4: be changed for a superior chess or checker piece
5: change a pawn for a better piece by advancing it to the eighth row, or change a checker piece for a more valuable piece by moving it to the row closest to your opponent

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (promoted; promoting) Etymology: Middle English, from Latin promotus, past participle of promov?re, literally, to move forward, from pro- forward + mov?re to move Date: 14th century 1. a. to advance in station, rank, or honor ; raise b. to change (a pawn) into a piece in chess by moving to the eighth rank c. to advance (a student) from one grade to the next higher grade 2. a. to contribute to the growth or prosperity of ; further <promote international understanding> b. to help bring (as an enterprise) into being ; launch c. to present (merchandise) for buyer acceptance through advertising, publicity, or discounting 3. slang to get possession of by doubtful means or by ingenuity Synonyms: see advance • promotability noun • promotable adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 (often foll. by to) advance or raise (a person) to a higher office, rank, etc. (was promoted to captain). 2 help forward; encourage; support actively (a cause, process, desired result, etc.) (promoted women's suffrage). 3 publicize and sell (a product). 4 attempt to ensure the passing of (a private act of parliament). 5 Chess raise (a pawn) to the rank of queen etc. when it reaches the opponent's end of the board. Derivatives: promotable adj. promotability n. promotion n. promotional adj. promotive adj. Etymology: ME f. L promovere promot- (as PRO-(1), movere move)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Promote Pro*mote", v. i. To urge on or incite another, as to strife; also, to inform against a person. [Obs.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Promote Pro*mote", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Promoted; p. pr. & vb. n. Promoting.] [L. promotus, p. p. of promovere to move forward, to promote; pro forward + movere to move. See Move.] 1. To contribute to the growth, enlargement, or prosperity of (any process or thing that is in course); to forward; to further; to encourage; to advance; to excite; as, to promote learning; to promote disorder; to promote a business venture. ``Born to promote all truth.'' --Milton. 2. To exalt in station, rank, or honor; to elevate; to raise; to prefer; to advance; as, to promote an officer. I will promote thee unto very great honor. --Num. xxii. 17. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee. --Prov. iv. 18. Syn: To forward; advance; further; patronize; help; exalt; prefer; elevate; dignify.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(promotes, promoting, promoted) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If people promote something, they help or encourage it to happen, increase, or spread. You don't have to sacrifice environmental protection to promote economic growth... = encourage ? discourage VERB: V n • promotion The government has pledged to give the promotion of democracy higher priority. N-UNCOUNT: with supp, usu N of n 2. If a firm promotes a product, it tries to increase the sales or popularity of that product. Paul Weller has announced a full British tour to promote his second solo album. ...a special St Lucia week where the island could be promoted as a tourist destination. VERB: V n, be V-ed as n 3. If someone is promoted, they are given a more important job or rank in the organization that they work for. I was promoted to editor and then editorial director... In fact, those people have been promoted. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed from/to n, be V-ed 4. If a team that competes in a league is promoted, it starts competing in a higher division in the next season because it was one of the most successful teams in the lower division. (BRIT) Woodford Green won the Second Division title and are promoted to the First Division. ? relegate VERB: usu passive, be V-ed to n • promotion Fans of Leeds United have been celebrating their team's promotion to the first division. ? relegation

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Forward, advance, further, encourage, help, assist, aid. 2. Elevate, exalt, raise, prefer, dignify. 3. Excite, stir up.

Moby Thesaurus

abet, acculturate, act for, actuate, advance, advantage, advertise, advocate, aggrandize, aid, ameliorate, amend, animate, answer, assist, back, ballyhoo, bark, be instrumental, be right, befit, befitting, benefit, better, bill, boost, bring forward, build up, bulletin, call attention to, champion, circularize, civilize, commend, communicate, compel, conduce to, contribute to, cry, cry up, develop, do the trick, edify, educate, elevate, emend, encourage, endorse, energize, enhance, enlighten, ennoble, enrich, espouse, establish, exalt, expedite, facilitate, fatten, favor, fill the bill, fit, force, forward, foster, further, galvanize, give a write-up, give publicity, go between, go straight, graduate, hasten, help, hype, impart, impel, improve, improve upon, inspire, inspirit, kick upstairs, knight, lard, lend wings to, lift, make an improvement, make for, mediate, meliorate, mend, minister to, motivate, move, move to action, not come amiss, nurture, pass, patronize, placard, plug, post, post bills, post up, prefer, present, press-agent, profit, propagandize, propel, publicize, puff, push, push forward, put forward, quicken, raise, recommend, refine upon, reform, sanction, sell, serve, set forward, set in motion, side with, socialize, spark, speak for, speak highly of, speak warmly of, speak well of, speed, spiel, sponsor, stimulate, straighten out, strengthen, subserve, suit the occasion, support, tout, transfigure, transform, up, upgrade, uplift, work, write up