advice

noun ad·vice \ əd-ˈvīs \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of advice

1 : recommendation regarding a decision or course of conduct : counsel

… shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties …
—U.S. Constitution

offering medical advice

a word of advice

2 : information or notice given —usually used in plural

… the latest advices from Mexico …
—Henry David Thoreau

3 : an official notice concerning a business transaction

payment advices

See advice defined for English-language learners

See advice defined for kids

Examples of advice in a Sentence

Parties have to make decisions involving millions of dollars based on incomplete information; to help make those decisions, they inevitably seek advice from pollsters they trust. —Noam Scheiber, New Republic, 24 Feb. 2003
Of all the e-mail advice I've received about my herniated disk, from acupuncture to zen, the most immediately applicable has been this: Channel your daily rage away from your spine. —Robert Lipsyte, New York Times, 21 July 2002
My advice is to sell your old car and get a new one.
Take my advice and sell your old car.
He needs advice from an expert.
She's been giving him some expert advice about investing.
“May I ask your advice about something?” “Certainly. I'm always happy to give advice when asked for it.”

Recent Examples of advice from the Web

But Pokora was too caught up in the thrill of stockpiling forbidden software to heed this advice.

— brendan i. koerner, WIRED, "The Young and the Reckless," 17 Apr. 2018
The following advice is excerpted from LOOK BIG: And Other Tips for Surviving Animal Encounters of All Kinds ($15, amazon.com).

— rachel levin, Health.com, "Here’s What You Should Do If You See a Bear—Whether You’re on the Trail or in Your Backyard," 16 Apr. 2018
Here are things parents should know about their rights, as well as advice from groups that take a more skeptical view of that knock on the door.

— The Republic | azcentral.com, "Understand the system | Child-welfare investigators just knocked on my door. What do I do now?," 13 Apr. 2018
Unsolicited advice, while occasionally helpful, can often be overwhelming and unnecessary.

— Southern Living, "This Is the Proper Response When Someone Tells You They're Having a Baby," 11 Apr. 2018
According to the data from The Guardian, Kern County deputies have taken his advice.

— britni danielle, Essence.com, "This California Sheriff Believes Killing Suspects Saves Money. And He Was Caught On Camera Saying So," 11 Apr. 2018
Laugh and learn Keep on smiling and learn the language – that’s the advice Rias Khan gives people when asked how to integrate into the labour market and into German society.

— michelle iracheta, Houston Chronicle, "Oak Ridge North Election Profile: Martha Stedifor, city council," 6 Apr. 2018
Make Up For Ever Sens'Eyes came to me from the advice a sales associate gave me long ago, and it's stayed by my side through long-lasting liquid lipstick and mascara that shrink-wraps to your lashes.

— rachel nussbaum, Glamour, "This Is the Only Makeup Remover You'll Ever Need," 2 Apr. 2018
The issue is that Trump has from the start run his affairs like a capricious monarch who likes to have a discordant range of conflicting advice.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "All the President’s Courtiers," 2 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of advice

Middle English avis, avise, advis, advise "thought, judgment, opinion," borrowed from Anglo-French avis, avise, advis, from the phrase a vis "apparent" (in ce m'est a vis "that appears to me"), from a "to, at, in" (going back to Latin ad) + vis, in part from the noun vis "field of vision, sense of sight, face" (going back to Latin vīsus, verbal noun from vidēre "to see"), in part from the Old French phrase ço m'est vis "that seems to me," continuing Latin mihi est vīsum (with neuter past participle of vidēre) — more at ¹at, ¹wit

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year