advertise

advertise — verb

1. to place news of a product, service, job, room, or event before many people so t

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to place news of a product, service, job, room, or event before many people so they notice it and respond.

Example

Bram advertised her homemade candles at the Sunday market with painted cards.

advertise + product in a selling setting

The hotel advertised for a night manager in Monday's local paper.

advertise for + person/job wanted

Common collocations
  • advertise a product
  • advertise online
  • advertise for staff
  • widely advertised event
Synonyms
  • promote

    stresses increasing interest or sales, not just placing the message

  • publicize

    broader and slightly more formal; not limited to things for sale

  • market

    more business-focused and strategic than advertise

  • announce

    simply gives information; it may not try to persuade people

Antonyms
  • hide

    to keep something from being seen or known

  • withhold

    to deliberately not make information public

Grammar Patterns

advertise + noun

advertise for + person/job

be advertised + adverb/place

Usage Note

Object is usually something people can buy, join, attend, rent, or apply for. When the goal is to find a worker, tenant, or buyer, the pattern 'advertise for' is common.

Common Mistakes

The cafe advertised a new cook last week.
The cafe advertised for a new cook last week.
when you want to hire someone, use 'advertise for' before the person or job.

2. to spread a private detail or some fact about yourself so that many people hear

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to spread a private detail or some fact about yourself so that many people hear it, often in a way that seems unwise or embarrassing.

Example

Ilya advertised his exam score to everyone on the bus home.

advertise + personal detail to a wide audience

Rohan never advertised his family's money, even after moving into a bigger house.

common object: wealth or status

Common collocations
  • advertise your plans
  • advertise family problems
  • advertise your success
  • never advertise the fact that ...
Synonyms
  • publicize

    more neutral or formal; it does not always suggest bad judgment

  • broadcast

    stronger; suggests telling a very wide audience

  • brag about

    informal and narrower; used when you show off your own success

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

advertise + private matter

advertise + noun + to + audience

Usage Note

Usually used with information that could have stayed private, such as money, plans, arguments, or good deeds. Distinguish from sense 1, where the aim is to attract customers or responses rather than expose personal matters.

Common Mistakes

I advertised my illness to my doctor.
I told my doctor about my illness.
'advertise' suggests making something widely known, not informing one person.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

At sense verb/1, advertise is the broad everyday verb for putting news of something in front of the public so people notice it and respond. Promote is close, but it stresses building interest or sales and can include discounts or campaigns as well as ads. Publicize is broader and slightly more formal; it can be used for news, causes, or research, not just products. Market is more business-focused and often includes the whole plan for reaching buyers. Announce simply gives information and does not always try to persuade anyone. A shop can advertise a new drink, a city can publicize a safety campaign, and a school can announce a holiday.

promote ↗publicizemarketannounce ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Advertise came into English through French from a Latin verb meaning "turn toward" or "draw attention to." In earlier English, it was closer to "inform" or "notify." The modern sense of promoting goods, services, and public offers developed later as printed notices and commercial ads became common.