Meanings
verbpromote (third-person singular simple present promotes, present participle promoting, simple past and past participle promoted)
present singular third person promotes · participle present promoting · participle past promoted · past promoted
- transitiveTo advocate or urge on behalf of (something or someone); to attempt to popularize or sell by means of advertising or publicity.
They promoted the new film with giant billboards.
1 more example
They promoted the abolition of daylight saving time.
Synonyms: pitch, peddle, forward · Antonyms: denigrate, oppose, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul, belibel
- transitiveTo encourage, urge or incite.
so that finding myself on the point of going, and loath to leave the tender partner of my joys behind me, I employed all the forwarding motions and arts my experience suggested to me, to promote his keeping me company to our journey's end.
Fanny Hill
1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC1 more example
It appears that Le Guin is promoting a sort of self-critique on her own ideology. Interestingly, although the story does give such an impression, the problematic characteristics of the Anarresti society are far more severe than economic scarcities or isolation.
2019 May 21, Israel Alves Corrêa Noletto, Sebastião Alves Teixeira Lopes, “Language and ideology: glossopoesis as a secondary narrative framework in Le Guin’s The dispossessed”, in Acta Scientiarum. Language and Culture, volume 41, number 2, →DOISynonyms: motivate, provoke, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send
- SingaporeintransitiveTo move on to a subsequent stage of education.
At the end of Primary 6 students can promote directly to the secondary section of SIS.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo raise (someone) to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank.
Similar
verbTo advocate or urge on behalf of (something or someone); to attempt to popularize or sell by means of advertising or publicity.
verbTo encourage, urge or incite.
More synonyms by meaning
verbgive a promotion to or assign to a higher position
Opposite
verbmake publicity for; try to sell (a product)
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
- Proto-Indo-European*pér
- Proto-Indo-European*pró
- Proto-Indo-European*pro-
- Proto-Italic*pro-
- Latinprō-
- Proto-Indo-European*m(y)ewh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*m(y)owh₁éyeti
- Proto-Italic*moweō
- Latinmoveō
- Latinprōmoveō
- Latinprōmōtus
- Englishpromote
From Latin prōmōtus, perfect passive participle of prōmoveō (“move forward, advance”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic رَقَّى, رَوَّجَ
- رَقَّى (raqqā)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- رَوَّجَ (rawwaja)advocate or urge on behalf of something
Bulgarian издигам, повишавам
- издигам (izdigam)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- повишавам (povišavam)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- насърчавам (nasărčavam)advocate or urge on behalf of something
- поощрявам (pooštrjavam)advocate or urge on behalf of something
Catalan promoure, ascendir
- promoureraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- ascendirraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- promocionaradvocate or urge on behalf of something
Chinese Cantonese 升呢
- 升呢raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
Chinese Mandarin 提升, 升官
- 提升 (tíshēng)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- 升官 (shēngguān)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- 提倡 (tíchàng)advocate or urge on behalf of something
Czech povýšit, propagovat
- povýšitraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- propagovatadvocate or urge on behalf of something
Dutch promotie maken, promoveren
- promotie makenraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- promoverenraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- bevorderenraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- bekend makenadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- promotenadvocate or urge on behalf of something
Esperanto promocii
- promociiraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
Estonian edutama, ülendama
- edutamaraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- ülendamaraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- edendamaadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- promomaadvocate or urge on behalf of something
Finnish ylentää, kannattaa
- ylentääraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- kannattaaadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- tukeaadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- mainostaaadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- korottaareplace a pawn by a different chess piece
French promouvoir, promotionner
- promouvoirraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- promotionnerraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- faire la promotion de...advocate or urge on behalf of something
German befördern, promovieren
- befördernraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- promovierenraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- fördernadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- umwandelnreplace a pawn by a different chess piece
Greek προωθώ
- προωθώ (proothó)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
Hungarian előléptet, népszerűsít
- előléptetraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- népszerűsítadvocate or urge on behalf of something
Irish ardaigh, cuir chun cinn
- ardaighraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- cuir chun cinnadvocate or urge on behalf of something
Italian promuovere, sostenere
- promuovereraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- sostenereadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- pubblicizzareadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- diffondereadvocate or urge on behalf of something
Japanese 増進させる
- 増進させる (zōshin saseru)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
Korean 진급시키다
- 진급시키다 (jin'geupsikida)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
Māori whakapiki, whakatairanga
- whakapikiraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- whakatairangaraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
Norwegian Bokmål forfremme
- forfremmeraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
Polish awansować, zaawansować
- awansowaćraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- zaawansowaćraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- promowaćadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- wypromowaćadvocate or urge on behalf of something
Portuguese promover, promover
- promoverraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- promoveradvocate or urge on behalf of something
Russian повы́сить, продви́нуть
- повы́сить (povýsitʹ)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- продви́нуть (prodvínutʹ)advocate or urge on behalf of something
Spanish promover, ascender
- promoverraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- ascenderraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- promoveradvocate or urge on behalf of something
Swedish befordra
- befordraraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
Thai เลื่อน, เลื่อนตำแหน่ง
- เลื่อน (lʉ̂ʉan)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- เลื่อนตำแหน่ง (lʉ̂ʉan-dtam-nɛ̀ng)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- ส่งเสริม (sòng-sə̌əm)advocate or urge on behalf of something
- ผลักดัน (plàk-dan)advocate or urge on behalf of something
Turkish desteklemek
- desteklemekraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
Ukrainian підвищити, просунути
- підвищити (pidvyščyty)raise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- просунути (prosunuty)advocate or urge on behalf of something
- сприяти (spryjaty)advocate or urge on behalf of something
Vietnamese thăng chức, lên chức
- thăng chứcraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- lên chứcraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- khuyến khíchadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- đề xướngadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- phongreplace a pawn by a different chess piece
- phong cấpreplace a pawn by a different chess piece
Welsh dyrchafu, hybu
- dyrchafuraise someone to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank
- hybuadvocate or urge on behalf of something
- hyrwyddoadvocate or urge on behalf of something
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with promote
notequotevoteremoteboatthroatcoatfloatgoatcotetotedenotedevotemothoatcapoteafloatsproutmoatrotemotephotloteemote
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
promote. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/promote
MLA
“promote.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/promote. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “promote,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/promote.
Source: promote on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.