promote
pruh-MOHT
Promote (verb) means to raise someone to a higher rank or more important job. Example: “She was promoted to regional manager after just two years.”
verb
1
To raise someone to a higher rank or more important job.
"She was promoted to regional manager after just two years."
"The firm plans to promote two engineers to team leader this year."
"After years of hard work, he hoped they would promote him soon."
2
To advertise or actively support something to make it more popular or successful.
"The charity used social media to promote its new fundraising campaign."
"He's always promoting local restaurants on his food blog."
"The band toured small towns to promote their latest album."
3
In chess, to exchange a pawn that reaches the far end of the board for a stronger piece.
"She pushed her pawn to the last rank and promoted it to a queen."
"If your pawn reaches the eighth rank, you may promote it to a rook."
"He chose to promote his pawn to a knight to give check."
How to use promote
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo move someone up in rank, or to help something become more popular or known.
Common pairings
promote a product
get promoted
promote growth
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like promote.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Third person singular
- promotes
- Past tense
- promoted
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She was _____ to regional manager after just two years.
Etymology
From Latin prōmōtus, past participle of prōmoveō ("to move forward, advance"), from pro- ("forward") plus moveō ("to move").
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for promote
See all rhymes for promote →Frequently asked questions
What does “promote” mean?
The word “promote” means to raise someone to a higher rank or more important job. In plain terms, to move someone up in rank, or to help something become more popular or known.
How do you pronounce “promote”?
“Promote” is pronounced pruh-MOHT (/pɹəˈmoʊt/ in IPA).
How do you use “promote” in a sentence?
Here is “promote” used in a sentence: “She was promoted to regional manager after just two years.”
What part of speech is “promote”?
“Promote” is a verb.
Where does the word “promote” come from?
The word “promote” comes from Latin. From Latin prōmōtus, past participle of prōmoveō ("to move forward, advance"), from pro- ("forward") plus moveō ("to move").
Is “promote” a common word?
“Promote” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “promote” have?
“Promote” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to raise someone to a higher rank or more important job.
What is the difference between promote and demote?
They are opposites. To promote someone is to raise them to a higher rank or more important job; to demote is to move them down to a lower one. A promotion usually brings more pay, responsibility, and status, while a demotion reduces them.
Does 'promote' always mean a job promotion?
No. Besides raising someone in rank, promote also means to encourage or actively support something, as in promoting healthy eating, or to advertise a product to boost sales. The shared idea is helping something rise, whether a person's career, a good cause, or a brand.
What is an example of promote in a sentence?
For example: 'The company promoted her to regional manager after five successful years.' Here promote means to raise in rank. The person moved up is said to be promoted, and the change itself is called a promotion.
What is the opposite of promote?
In the sense of rank, the direct opposite is demote, to lower someone's position. Related opposites include downgrade and relegate. When promote instead means to encourage or advertise, the opposites shift to words like discourage, suppress, or hinder, depending on the context.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include promote:
