English Reference
noun

promotion

n.
US /pɝˈmoʊʃən/ UK /pɹəmˈəʊʃən/ pro·mo·tion UK spelling promotions

  1. 01 B1 Intermediate

    a move to a more important job or rank in a company.

    the advancement of an employee to a higher rank or position within a hierarchy.

    Simple

    After three years of hard work, she finally got a promotion to manager.

    In context

    The board considered several internal candidates for the promotion, ultimately selecting the one with the most consistent record of leadership.

  2. 02 B1 Intermediate

    activities used to advertise a product or service to increase sales.

    the publicisation of a product, cause, or institution to increase sales or public awareness.

    Simple

    The supermarket has a special promotion on fresh fruit this week.

    In context

    The marketing department launched an aggressive social media promotion to ensure the new software reached its target demographic before the holiday season.

  3. 03 C2 Proficiency Technical Sport

    when a pawn reaches the other side of the board and becomes a stronger piece.

    the transformation of a pawn into a piece of the player's choice upon reaching the eighth rank.

    Simple

    He moved his pawn to the last row and chose a queen for its promotion.

    In context

    The grandmaster calculated that the pawn promotion was inevitable, forcing his opponent to sacrifice a rook to prevent the game from ending immediately.

He led Leicester to promotion and won the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup with Chelsea, but fans of those clubs seemed unconvinced by the style of play.

The Guardian· 15 Aug 2026

Victor Adeboyejo fired a second-half winner as Bromley won 1-0 at Barnsley for their first-ever win in the third tier following promotion.

The Guardian· 15 Aug 2026

Late Middle English, from Old French promocion, from Late Latin promotio, from Latin promoveo (“I move forward”). Equivalent to promote + -ion.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin promoveo
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Common
Updated