advert

verb ad·vert \ ad-ˈvərt \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of advert

intransitive verb

1 : to turn the mind or attention —used with to

adverted to the speaker

2 : to call attention in the course of speaking or writing : make reference —used with to

adverted to foreign-language sources

See advert defined for kids

advert was our Word of the Day on 07/01/2010. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of advert from the Web

Digital-only advertising, however, was up nearly 10 percent in 2017, largely offsetting the impact of the softening print adverting declines on total digital advertising.

— mark glover, sacbee, "McClatchy boosts digital audience, advertising revenue in 2017 | The Sacramento Bee," 16 Feb. 2018
Donations also go toward adverting campaigns like radio ads to help get the word out about their mission needs.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "Jimmie Hale Mission nears 75th year serving Birmingham," 19 Dec. 2017
Yet to advert to rules of tonal consistency is to impose an external, puristic point of view on material that is wonderfully motley and personal.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Review: ‘Bubbly Black Girl’ Lets a Smile Be Her Camouflage," 27 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'advert.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of advert

Middle English averten, adverten "to notice, think of, consider, be heedful," borrowed from Anglo-French avertir, advertir "to notify, (reflexive) recognize, be mindful of," going back to Vulgar Latin *advertīre, alteration (by conjugational shift) of Latin advertere "to turn or direct toward, direct (attention) toward, pay heed (to), attract the attention of," from ad- ad- + vertere "to turn" — more at ¹worth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

advert

noun ad·vert \ ˈad-ˌvərt \

Definition of advert

chiefly British

: advertisement

See advert defined for English-language learners

Examples of advert in a Sentence

I saw your advert in the newspaper.
busily perusing the job adverts in the Sunday Times

Recent Examples of advert from the Web

Cars are worldwide road-going adverts for the national brand.

— The Economist, "Last lap of luxuryGerman cars have the most to lose from changes facing the auto industry," 1 Mar. 2018
Ducey, meanwhile, helped Uber deal with other officials in Arizona, issued decrees that were friendly to the company, tweeted out an advert at the company’s request, and even seems to have been open to wearing an Uber T-shirt at an official event.

— andrew j. hawkins, The Verge, "Uber scaled back the number of sensors on its self-driving cars: report," 28 Mar. 2018
Sales of goods accounted for just under half of wanghong earnings of 53bn yuan ($8bn) in 2016, estimates Analysys, a Chinese market-research firm (the rest came mostly from live-show tips and adverts).

— The Economist, "Online starlets are refashioning Chinese e-commerce," 15 Mar. 2018
Snapchat has issued an apology to Rihanna after removing an advert that made light of domestic abuse.

— sydney scott, Essence.com, "The Quick Read: Snapchat Apologizes To Rihanna Over Domestic Abuse Ad," 15 Mar. 2018
Advertisement The most common comparison so far has been between the video and a Kenzo fragrance advert directed by Spike Jonze back in 2016.

— refinery29.com, "Did Taylor Swift's New Video Copy This Perfume Ad?," 12 Mar. 2018
Whilst fans rejoiced at unexpectedly meeting the Reds ace, the Liverpool Echo revealed the reasoning for Salah's appearances across the city were due to his part in an advert for Egyptian TV.

— SI.com, "VIDEO: Liverpool Superstar Mohamed Salah Spotted in Local Chippy as Part of Advert," 22 Feb. 2018
Lovren - who fled the former Yugoslavia with his parents as a young child during the war - was one of several high-profile Croatian celebrities who took part in the tourism advert.

— SI.com, "Liverpool Defender Dejan Lovren Makes Headlines for the Right Reasons With Huge Charitable Donation," 22 Dec. 2017
The actors got engaged in September 2017, confirming the happy news the old-fashioned (and very British) way: through a classified advert in The Times.

— michele corriston, PEOPLE.com, "Happy Birthday, Kit Harington! Inside His Love Story with Fiancée Rose Leslie," 26 Dec. 2017