advocacy

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noun ad·vo·ca·cy \ˈad-və-kə-sē\

Definition of advocacy

: the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal : the act or process of advocating (see ²advocate) something known for his advocacy of gay rights

See advocacy defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of advocacy from the Web

In her first job out of college as the youngest State Director for a national Democratic advocacy group in the country, Aries burned out.

— jessica militare, Glamour, "These Women Prove That Work Burnout is Real—and Beatable", 6 July 2017
Justice lawyers ask judge to reject bid to block gathering Advocacy group calls committee’s plan for information ‘

— andrew m harris, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Panel Portrayed by U.S. as No Threat to Voter Privacy", 5 July 2017
In the 1960s student activists pushed the administration at the University of California Berkeley to lift its ban on campus political advocacy, earning the school a reputation as the birthplace of the free speech movement.

— melissa batchelor warnke, Town & Country, "One Berkeley Student on Why Violent Protesters Don't Represent the Mood on Campus", 28 June 2017
California housing advocacy groups have also filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, alleging that OneWest discriminated in its lending practices against African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians.

— william d. cohan, The Hive, "The Untold Story of How Gary Cohn Fell for Donald Trump", 27 June 2017
BET and My Black Is Beautiful also gave Mallory $10,000 to continue her advocacy work.

— crystal tate, Essence.com, "Solange Honoring Women's March Co-Chair Tamika Mallory At The BET Awards Is A Must-See Moment", 26 June 2017
Today, due in large part to the advocacy efforts of health groups, the only phthalate commonly used in cosmetics is diethylphthalate (DEP), as a fragrance solvent.

— lauren balsamo, Cosmopolitan, "What You Need to Know About These 5 Controversial Beauty Ingredients", 22 June 2017
The evening was presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County — the Federation's public policy, community relations and advocacy arm.

— randall p. lieberman, Jewish Journal, "Former White House Jewish liaisons address Federation event", 22 June 2017
A report from advocacy organization Stop Street Harassment, meanwhile, showed 65 percent of U.S. women reported experiencing street harassment in their lifetimes.

— lily herman, Allure, "A New Study Attempts to Explain Why Some Men Harass Women", 19 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of advocacy

see ¹advocate

NEW!

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Law Dictionary

advocacy

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noun ad·vo·ca·cy \ˈad-və-kə-sē\

Legal Definition of advocacy

1 : the profession or work of an advocate
2 : the action of advocating, pleading for, or supporting a cause or proposal a consequence of his moving advocacy — W. O. Douglas