advise

verb

ad·vise | \ əd-ˈvīz

advised; advising

Definition of advise

1a : to give (someone) a recommendation about what should be done : to give advice to Her doctor advised her to try a drier climate.

b : caution, warn advise them of the consequences

c : recommend advise prudence

2 : to give information or notice to : inform advise them of their rights

intransitive verb

1 : to give a recommendation about what should be done advise on legal matters

2 : to talk with someone in order to decide what should be done : consult advise with friends

Other Words from advise Synonyms What's the difference between adviser and advisor? Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about advise

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What's the difference between adviser and advisor?

Adviser or advisor? It doesn't matter what your computer's spellcheck tells you, adviser and advisor are both correct. Although there is enough overlap between these two words that they are generally considered simply to be different ways to spell the same word, there are some cases in which one tends to be used more often than the other. Some people feel that advisor is more formal, and it tends to be found more often when applied to official positions, such as an advisor to a president. When referring to someone who is serving in a military role, especially when using the term as a euphemism (as when claiming that troops are actually military advisers), then adviser is somewhat more common.

Did You Know?

Advise was borrowed into Middle English in the 14th century from Anglo-French aviser, itself from avis, meaning "opinion." That avis is not to be confused with the Latin word avis, meaning "bird" (an ancestor of such English words as avian and aviation). Instead, it results from the Old French phrase ce m'est a vis ("that appears to me"), a partial translation of Latin mihi visum est, "it seemed so to me" or "I decided." We advise you to remember that advise is spelled with an s, whereas the related noun advice includes a stealthy c.

Examples of advise in a Sentence

… the White House let it be known that the President had privately rebuked his Defense Secretary for not advising him of the extent of the problem. — John F. Dickerson et al., Time, 17 May 2004 Bureau of Land Management officials are recruiting a variety of Wyoming residents to serve on a working group that will advise the agency on possible changes to the level and pace of oil and gas development … — Jeff Gearino, Casper Star Tribune, 3 Mar. 2003 When I told my lawyer that my boyfriend was going to remodel my house, she advised me to get a strict estimate and regular billings … — Jane Smiley, Harper's, June 2000 Los Angeles Center advised me of a Boeing 747 at my one o'clock position and 500 feet below. — Barbara Cushman Rowell, Plane & Pilot, 1994 An internist … advised me of an experimental drug. — Robert E. Neger, American Medical News, 2 Sept. 1991 I strongly advise you to sell your old car. We advised them to save their money. My doctor advised me to lose some weight. She advises the President on foreign affairs. We were thinking of buying that house, but our lawyer advised against it. I advise selling your old car. He advises patience when dealing with children. The boss asked us to keep him advised about how the project is going.

Recent Examples on the Web

Campfires with a diameter of less than 3 feet are allowed but not advised, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry, which suspended burning in the Mat-Su. — Devin Kelly, Anchorage Daily News, "Dry weather keeps burn bans in effect for Anchorage and Mat-Su," 6 July 2018 The association advised Grode that, because of the errant squiggle, the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State would reject her application. — Sandra Guy, Chicago Reader, "Politics Illinois notaries are having a tough go—getting their licenses notarized," 4 July 2018 Among other things, Ms. Waters said her committee would look at Mr. Mulvaney’s firing a panel of outside experts that advised the bureau on consumer issues and stripping its office of fair lending of enforcement and supervisory powers. — Andrew Ackerman, WSJ, "New House Financial Services Chair Targets Mulvaney for Interim CFPB Role," 16 Jan. 2019 Lip and hoops were inspired by Sonia Sotomayor, who was advised to wear neutral-colored nail polish to her confirmation hearings to avoid scrutiny. — Frances Solá-santiago, Glamour, "What Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Hoop Earrings Mean to Latina Women Like Me," 11 Jan. 2019 The trend has become so worrisome that in November, a nonpartisan panel that advises states and the federal government on Medicaid urged Arkansas to stop disenrolling people. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "16,932 people have lost Medicaid coverage under Arkansas’s work requirements," 18 Dec. 2018 Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images Tech companies like Google, Apple, and Uber should be forced to share mapping data with rivals firms and the public sector, the UK government has been advised by a data advocacy group. — James Vincent, The Verge, "Google, Apple, and Uber must share mapping data with rivals, says UK data group," 20 Nov. 2018 On the other hand, people who don't already smoke aren't advised to take up using e-cigarettes, and other research suggests that taking up vaping as a teen actually increases your risk for using traditional cigarettes later. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "Bella Hadid’s New Year’s Resolution Is to Give Up Her JUUL: 'So Far So Good!'," 8 Jan. 2019 The Metropolitan Police has advised Londoners to avoid driving. — Matt Stuart, Vogue, "“Sorry, We Won’t Be Long”: Extinction Rebellion Shuts Down London to Demand Climate Action," 22 Nov. 2018

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

History and Etymology for advise

Middle English avisen, advisen "to look at, examine, find out, take thought, consider, decide, instruct, counsel," borrowed from Anglo-French aviser, adviser "to look at, examine, consider, give advice to, inform," partly from a- (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + viser "to see, catch sight of" (going back to Vulgar Latin *vīsāre, alteration, by conjugational change, of Latin vīsere "to go and look, look," frequentative of vidēre "to see"), partly verbal derivative of avis "thought, judgment" — more at advice

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Last Updated

12 Feb 2019

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The first known use of advise was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for advise

adviser

verb

Financial Definition of adviser

What It Is

In the finance world, an advisor (also spelled adviser) is an educated investment professional who helps people and businesses set and meet long-term financial goals.

How It Works

An advisor is similar to an investment advisor, financial planner, investment manager or investment consultant.

An advisor analyzes a client's current financial status and helps the client set reasonable, achievable financial goals. He or she can address a broad array of questions competently. Advisors also make investment recommendations, provide objective advice and help clients weigh the financial consequences of life decisions. They also help clients stay organized.

Advisors must have expertise in tax planning, asset allocation, risk management, retirement planning and estate planning in order to help clients at all stages of life and in a variety of circumstances. In some cases a client will let his or her advisor act as a fiduciary, meaning that the client gives the advisor permission to make decisions on the client's behalf without consulting the client for approval beforehand. Advisors often either charge by the hour or they charge the client a percentage of the assets under management.

Why It Matters

Advisors help millions of people get financially organized and help them make educated life decisions.

In most states, anyone can call himself an advisor because there are few licensing requirements and little regulation. There are several credentials that advisors can obtain, however, and the most common is the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. An advisor must pass the CFP test, have an appropriate level of prior education, sign a code of ethics and have several years of actual planning experience before obtaining the right to use the CFP designation. CFPs also must obtain a certain number of hours of continuing education every year to keep the designation.

Several organizations help people find qualified advisors, including the National Association of Financial Advisors (NAPFA), the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

Source: Investing Answers

advise

verb