PROMOTE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does promote mean? 

• PROMOTE (verb)
  The verb PROMOTE has 5 senses:

1. contribute to the progress or growth of

2. give a promotion to or assign to a higher position

3. make publicity for; try to sell (a product)

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

  Familiarity information: PROMOTE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PROMOTE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they promote    ... he / she / it promotes   
Past simple: promoted   
Past participle: promoted   
-ing form: promoting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Contribute to the progress or growth of

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

advance; boost; encourage; further; promote

Context example:

I am promoting the use of computers in the classroom

Hypernyms (to "promote" is one way to...):

back up; support (give moral or psychological support, aid, or courage to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "promote"):

connive at; wink at (give one's silent approval to)

foster; further (promote the growth of)

spur (incite or stimulate)

help (contribute to the furtherance of)

carry (take further or advance)

feed (support or promote)

conduce; contribute; lead (be conducive to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

promotion (the advancement of some enterprise)

promotion (encouragement of the progress or growth or acceptance of something)

promotive (tending to further or encourage)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Give a promotion to or assign to a higher position

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

advance; elevate; kick upstairs; promote; raise; upgrade

Context example:

I got promoted after many years of hard work

Hypernyms (to "promote" is one way to...):

assign; delegate; depute; designate (give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "promote"):

ennoble; entitle; gentle (give a title to someone; make someone a member of the nobility)

brevet (promote somebody by brevet, in the military)

favor; favour; prefer (promote over another)

spot promote (promote on the spot)

bring up (promote from a lower position or rank)

tenure (give life-time employment to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Antonym:

demote (assign to a lower position; reduce in rank)

Derivation:

promotion (act of raising in rank or position)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make publicity for; try to sell (a product)

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

advertise; advertize; promote; push

Context example:

The company is heavily advertizing their new laptops

Hypernyms (to "promote" is one way to...):

praise (express approval of)

Verb group:

agitate; campaign; crusade; fight; press; push (exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "promote"):

plug (make a plug for; praise the qualities or in order to sell or promote)

bill (advertise especially by posters or placards)

agitate; campaign; crusade; fight; press; push (exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for)

propagandise; propagandize (spread by propaganda)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue promote the movie

Derivation:

promoter (someone who is an active supporter and advocate)

promotion (a message issued in behalf of some product or cause or idea or person or institution)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be changed for a superior chess or checker piece

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "promote" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Verb group:

promote (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)

Domain category:

board game (a game played on a specially designed board)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "promote"):

queen (become a queen)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 5

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "promote" is one way to...):

play (use or move)

Verb group:

promote (be changed for a superior chess or checker piece)

Domain category:

chess; chess game (a board game for two players who move their 16 pieces according to specific rules; the object is to checkmate the opponent's king)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "promote"):

queen (promote to a queen, as of a pawn in chess)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

This promotes efficient sharing and flow of information between mother and infant.

(Mothers’ and babies’ brains ‘more in tune’ when mother is happy, University of Cambridge)

The researchers also found that people who took antibiotics experienced changes to their immune systems that promoted a pro-inflammatory state, similar to a condition seen in older adults who have received influenza vaccines.

(Disrupting the gut microbiome may affect some immune responses to flu vaccination, National Institutes of Health)

These clays demonstrated a unique ability to kill bacteria while promoting skin cell growth.

(New answer to MRSA, other 'superbug' infections: clay minerals?, NSF)

Eating high-fibre foods is important when it comes to satisfying hunger, since these foods reduce snacking and therefore help control energy intake and promote healthier food choices.

(Researchers reveal potential of bread that suppresses appetite, University of Granada)

But, said Eleanor, after a short pause, would it be to promote his happiness, to enable him to marry such a girl?

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

Neither father nor mother could promote, and the daughter could not endure it.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Sakhalin oil is said to promote relaxation.

(Abies sachalinensis var. sachalinensis oil, NCI Thesaurus)

Phosphorylation of Bad by AKT blocks anti-apoptotic activity to promote cell survival.

(AKT Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

A synthetic central nervous system stimulant with wakefulness-promoting activity.

(Modafinil, NCI Thesaurus)

Tumor cells, such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells, express and secrete BLP that activate specific cell growth-promoting receptors.

(Monoclonal Antibody 2A11, NCI Thesaurus)