PROMOTE Synonyms: 180 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'promote' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of promote are advance , forward , and further . While all these words mean "to help (someone or something) to move ahead," promote suggests an encouraging or fostering and may denote an increase in status or rank. // a campaign to promote better health

Q: When might 'advance' be a better fit than 'promote'?

Although the words advance and promote have much in common, advance stresses effective assisting in hastening a process or bringing about a desired end. // advance the cause of peace

Q: When is it sensible to use 'forward' instead of 'promote'?

While the synonyms forward and promote are close in meaning, forward implies an impetus forcing something ahead. // a wage increase would forward productivity

Q: When would 'further' be a good substitute for 'promote'?

The synonyms further and promote are sometimes interchangeable, but further suggests a removing of obstacles in the way of a desired advance. // used the marriage to further his career

promote

verb

prə-ˈmōt

Definition of promote

as in to sell

to provide publicity for promoting a new line of toys based on the popular movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to elevate

to move higher in rank or position the navy promoted her to captain for her record of outstanding performance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to encourage

to help the growth or development of a campaign promoting good dental hygiene

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to grow

to look after or assist the growth of by labor and care spends all her time now promoting her new business

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb promote contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of promote are advance, forward, and further. While all these words mean "to help (someone or something) to move ahead," promote suggests an encouraging or fostering and may denote an increase in status or rank.

a campaign to promote better health

When might advance be a better fit than promote?

Although the words advance and promote have much in common, advance stresses effective assisting in hastening a process or bringing about a desired end.

advance the cause of peace

When is it sensible to use forward instead of promote?

While the synonyms forward and promote are close in meaning, forward implies an impetus forcing something ahead.

a wage increase would forward productivity

When would further be a good substitute for promote?

The synonyms further and promote are sometimes interchangeable, but further suggests a removing of obstacles in the way of a desired advance.

used the marriage to further his career

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of promote The Tate brothers, who openly describe themselves as misogynists, built a global following by promoting a lavish, hypermasculine lifestyle through their social media empire. — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 That can mean funding small pilot programs, giving teams explicit room to experiment within reasonable guardrails, or simply promoting the people already finding smarter ways to work before anyone told them to. — Stacy L. Hambleton, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026 For decades, non-Muslims have been caught up in Hisbah's enforcement, which the force says is to promote morality. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 Some of the treatments include a DHT-blocking shampoo, vitamin B7 and topical minoxidil, which helps promote hair regrowth. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for promote

Recent Examples of Synonyms for promote

Verb

Meanwhile, a federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Justice Department's push to force Google to sell its ad exchange, another victory for the company against the government's antitrust efforts.

— MacKenzie Sigalos,Drew Troast, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
This Paige Shoulder Bag is selling like hot cakes, so much so that the baby blue style is already sold out.

— Alyssa Morin, InStyle, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of sell

Verb

Sovereign debt loads are already elevated across much of the world, and refinancing maturing debt at higher rates will progressively increase interest costs and strain public finances.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Hot Docs, the world-class documentary film festival in Toronto, has announced some major personnel moves – elevating Diana Sanchez to president and bringing in Mara Gourd-Mercado to succeed Sanchez as executive director.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of elevate

Verb

By taking stem cells from a host’s own body and encouraging them to differentiate before mixing them with a commercially available, soluble matrix gel, researchers may have cracked the most critical problems in the transplant process.

— Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
The bark can also be stripped from the branch, called girdling, which encourages faster root growth.

— Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of encourage

Verb

As the affiliate industry grows, particularly for fashion brands and beauty brands which increasingly route a growing share of sales through such links, the answer is getting harder to parse.

— Tom Matsuda, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
According to the memo, Google's electric demand is expected to grow faster than Entergy can add new electricity generation.

— Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of grow

Verb

Pricey summer rentals funded a renovation to add central air and upgrade the saltwater pool.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
All cabins come with a firepit equipped with a grill grate and a picnic table, while upgrading to an outdoor suite gets you a tarp for shade lined with string lights and an extremely comfortable hammock.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of upgrade

Verb

For leaders, cultivating an environment where people actively seek out and fill these gaps is what separates adaptive companies from stagnant ones.

— Stacy L. Hambleton, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
For years, the British American brothers cultivated the image that laws did not apply to them even as legal troubles mounted in the UK, Romania and the US.

— Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of cultivate

Browse Nearby Words

promos

promote

promoted

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Style

“Promote.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/promote. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of promote

verb

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