publicity

noun

pub·​lic·​i·​ty (ˌ)pə-ˈbli-sə-tē 

-ˈbli-stē

1

: the quality or state of being public

2

a

: an act or device designed to attract public interest

specifically : information with news value issued as a means of gaining public attention or support

b

: the dissemination of information or promotional material

c

: paid advertising

d

: public attention or acclaim

Synonyms of publicity

• hype
• advertising
• advertisement

Examples of publicity in a Sentence

His public appearances are good publicity for the new movie.

An arrest for drunk driving is bad publicity for any celebrity.

The film has gotten some good publicity.

She has received a lot of publicity for her latest novel.

The studio spent a lot of money on publicity for the movie.

Recent Examples on the Web

The six-part, twelve-hour series is the highest-profile PBS premiere in years, garnering multiple weeks of publicity, including advance screenings across the country. —Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025

The defense argued that the case has received extensive and prejudicial pretrial publicity, contending that the jury pool has been tainted, thereby impacting Walshe's right to a fair trial. —Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

Sure enough, the studio behind the pink-and-green publicity machine delivered an epic onslaught of all things Oz. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025

With the publicity machine behind Stranger Things starting to ramp up ahead of the final season, the show re-entered the Nielsen streaming charts in mid-October. —Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin pūblicitāt-, pūblicitās, from Latin pūblicus public entry 1 + -itāt-, -itās -ity

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing publicity

• publicity stunt

Rhymes for publicity

• basicity
• chronicity
• complicity
• cyclicity
• duplicity
• ethnicity
• facticity
• felicity
• helicity
• plasticity
• rusticity
• simplicity

Kids Definition

publicity

noun

pub·​lic·​i·​ty (ˌ)pə-ˈblis-ət-ē 

1

: the condition of being public or publicly known

2

: an act or device designed to attract public interest

especially : information with a news value designed to further the interests of a place, person, or cause

3

a

: an action that gains public attention

b

: the attention so gained