publicity

pub·lic·i·ty | \ (ˌ)pə-ˈbli-sə-tē

, -ˈbli-stē \

Definition of publicity

1 : the quality or state of being public

2a : 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

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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 But the deaths—the state confirms only three—and the bad publicity from them has also pushed Qatar to reform its labor laws. — Adam Rasmi, Quartz, "Qatar’s World Cup is coming together. It just might not be fun," 31 Dec. 2019 In the 1990s, getting on the Imus show was considered one of the most powerful publicity boosts a book could get. — Marc Fisher, Washington Post, "Don Imus, talk-show host who turned bad behavior into big ratings, dies at 79," 27 Dec. 2019 The publicity had its downside: One such visitor was a man with a raft and a chainsaw, who traveled to Maine to turn the disk into a massive frozen peace sign. — BostonGlobe.com, "The perfect gift for the harried commuter in your life:," 26 Dec. 2019 The biologist said the publicity brought an onslaught of fishing pressure from anglers — most armed with high-tech electronics — about the same time hydrilla in the lake began to decline due to abnormally high water during the winter and spring. — Matt Williams, ExpressNews.com, "Research study following bass that go beep," 19 Dec. 2019 In their words:Army-Navy game: NFL player will remember 'for the rest of my life,' when Cadets broke losing streak The publicity of the game adds fuel to the fire of emotions. — Sean Reaver, USA TODAY, "Former Navy player recalls thrill of winning Army game 'all four years'," 12 Dec. 2019 The trial was moved from mostly black Montgomery to Ozark, Ala. 85 miles away at the request of the defense because of the publicity the case received in Montgomery. — Fox News, "Alabama jury convicts police officer of manslaughter for killing unarmed black man," 23 Nov. 2019 For the most part, though, the bad publicity soon evaporated, largely because Catalyst established patient assistance programs which in some cases eliminated out-of-pocket costs. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "A drug maker courted controversy when it shut out a family-run rival. Now some patients say the medicine isn’t working," 15 Nov. 2019 Twenge is hardly the only researcher to publish negative findings about social media use, but the publicity around her work has made her one of the most high profile. — Lydia Denworth, Scientific American, "Social Media Has Not Destroyed a Generation," 23 Oct. 2019

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

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Last Updated

10 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Publicity.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/publicity. Accessed 18 January 2020.

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More Definitions for publicity

publicity

noun