ENGLISH
REFERENCE

promote

v.
US //pɹəˈmoʊt// UK //pɹəmˈəʊt// pro·mote
  1. 1 to raise in rank (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to give someone a more important job or a higher position in a company.

    to elevate an employee to a more senior, responsible, or higher-paid position within an organisational hierarchy.

    Example

    After three years of hard work, the company decided to promote her to manager.

    Example

    The board of directors voted unanimously to promote the chief operating officer to the role of CEO following the successful merger.

    Usage

    Often used in the passive voice: 'She was promoted to...'
    • demote
  2. 2 to encourage or support (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to help something happen, develop, or become more popular.

    to contribute to the progress or growth of something; to foster or advocate for a particular cause or practice.

    Example

    The government is trying to promote healthy eating in schools.

    Example

    The international summit aimed to promote sustainable development goals across emerging economies through shared technological investment.
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  1. 3 to advertise (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to use advertising to tell people about a product so they will buy it.

    to publicise a product, service, or event in order to increase sales or public awareness.

    Example

    The band is touring the country to promote their new album.

    Example

    The marketing department launched a multi-channel campaign to promote the luxury vehicle to a younger demographic.
  2. 4 sports league advancement (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Sport

    to move a sports team up to a better or higher league.

    to advance a sports team to a higher division or league, typically as a result of their performance in the previous season.

    Example

    If they win this match, the team will be promoted to the Premier League.

    Example

    After a decade in the lower divisions, the club was finally promoted to the top flight following a dramatic final-day victory.

    Usage

    Commonly used in the passive voice in British English sports contexts.
    • relegate
  3. 5 chess (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical

    to change a pawn into a more powerful piece, like a queen, when it reaches the end of the board.

    to exchange a pawn for any piece of the same colour except a king when it reaches the opponent's end of the board.

    Example

    He managed to get his pawn to the last row and promote it to a queen.

    Example

    The grandmaster chose to promote the pawn to a knight rather than a queen to deliver an immediate checkmate.

  4. 6 computing data types (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    to change a piece of data into a more complex type so the computer can process it.

    to convert a data value from a lower-precision type to a higher-precision type, such as converting an integer to a float.

    Example

    The software will automatically promote the integer to a decimal during the calculation.

    Example

    Implicit type conversion will promote the variable to a double-precision floating point to prevent loss of data during the division operation.
    • demote
Origin

From Latin prōmōtus, perfect passive participle of prōmoveō (“move forward, advance”).

Word family

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