# promote

/pɹəˈmoʊt/ (US) · /pɹəmˈəʊt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/promote
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to raise in rank

verb · CEFR B1

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

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

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

### 2. to encourage or support

verb · CEFR B1

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

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

- The government is trying to promote healthy eating in schools.
- The international summit aimed to promote sustainable development goals across emerging economies through shared technological investment.

### 3. to advertise

verb · CEFR B1

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

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

- The band is touring the country to promote their new album.
- The marketing department launched a multi-channel campaign to promote the luxury vehicle to a younger demographic.

### 4. sports league advancement

verb · CEFR B2 · British English

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

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

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

### 5. chess

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

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

- He managed to get his pawn to the last row and promote it to a queen.
- The grandmaster chose to promote the pawn to a knight rather than a queen to deliver an immediate checkmate.

### 6. computing data types

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

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

- The software will automatically promote the integer to a decimal during the calculation.
- Implicit type conversion will promote the variable to a double-precision floating point to prevent loss of data during the division operation.

## Examples

- The company wants to promote healthy eating habits.
- The manager decided to promote her to senior director after she successfully led the international merger.
- While the government aims to promote economic growth through tax incentives, critics argue that such measures often neglect the environmental impact of rapid industrial expansion.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.