announcement

announcement — noun

1. a message in speech or writing, usually given by someone in authority, that tell

1.nounB1
Definition

a message in speech or writing, usually given by someone in authority, that tells people about a decision, plan, or piece of news.

Example

The principal made an announcement about the new school start time.

make an announcement about + topic

Passengers waited quietly for the next announcement at Gate 14.

Common collocations
  • surprise announcement
  • official announcement
  • public announcement
  • shock announcement
Synonyms
  • statement

    more neutral; can be private or public

  • notice

    often shorter and written, e.g. on a board or website

  • declaration

    more formal and weighty, often political or legal

Grammar Patterns

announcement + that-clause

announcement of + noun

Usage Note

Often takes a that-clause for the content of the message, or 'of + noun' for the topic. Subject of 'make' or 'issue' is usually a person or institution with authority.

Common Mistakes

The mayor announcement was short.
The mayor's announcement was short.
'announcement' is a noun, so it needs a possessive or 'the' before it, not another noun directly.
She made an announcement about that the office will close.
She made an announcement that the office will close.
drop 'about' before a that-clause.

2. the action of telling people about something officially, especially through a pu

2.nounB2
Definition

the action of telling people about something officially, especially through a public message.

Example

The announcement of the winners caused loud cheers in the hall.

the announcement of + noun

Share prices fell sharply after the announcement of the merger on Tuesday morning.

Common collocations
  • the announcement of his death
  • the announcement of the results
  • formal announcement
Synonyms
  • declaration

    the act of stating something formally, often more solemn

  • proclamation

    very formal, often by a ruler or government

Grammar Patterns

the announcement of + noun

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names the act or event of making the message public, not the message itself. Almost always appears as 'the announcement of + noun'.

Common Mistakes

After the announcement the merger, the stock dropped.
After the announcement of the merger, the stock dropped.
this sense needs 'of' before the noun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four describe sharing information with others, but they differ in tone and audience. An 'announcement' is usually public and brings news that listeners did not know yet, often delivered by someone with authority — a school principal, a company, or a government. A 'statement' is more neutral and can be made in private or to the press; it gives a position or facts but does not have to be new information. A 'notice' tends to be short and written, posted on a board or sent by email, telling readers about a small change like an office closing early. A 'declaration' is the most formal and weighty of the four, often connected with politics or law, such as a declaration of war. So you might say, 'The company issued a statement after the official announcement of the merger,' showing how each word fits a different stage.

announcement ↗statement ↗notice ↗declaration ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • press announcement
  • radio announcement
  • wedding announcement
  • policy announcement

Adverbs

Phrases

  • make an announcement
  • issue an announcement
  • release an announcement
  • await an announcement

Prepositions

  • of (the announcement of)
  • about (an announcement about)
  • by (an announcement by the company)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word came into English in the early 1800s from the verb 'announce' plus the noun-forming ending '-ment'. 'Announce' itself goes back through Old French 'anoncier' to Latin 'annuntiare', built from 'ad-' (toward) and 'nuntiare' (to report), from 'nuntius' (messenger). So at heart, an announcement is a message brought toward the listeners — the same root that gives us 'pronounce' and 'denounce'.