publicity

noun pub·lic·i·ty \ (ˌ)pə-ˈbli-sə-tē , -ˈbli-stē \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Definition of publicity

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

See publicity defined for English-language learners

See publicity defined for kids

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 of publicity from the Web

The back-end headaches—according to several sources, Knopf spearheaded the publicity while Little, Brown oversaw marketing, sales, and shipping—hardly mattered when selling out a 1.2 million-copy opening print run seemed a sure thing.

— sarah weinman, Bloomberg.com, "Bill Clinton Is Bungling His Publicity Tour. But … How’s the Book?," 5 June 2018
The plot, which involved the detonation of an electrical tower, had casino operators nervous — might that actually work? — but the publicity proved irresistible.

— seth abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, "Hollywood Flashback: How Sinatra and the Men of 'Ocean's 11' Made Vegas "Pop" in 1960," 31 May 2018
Previous notoriety To be clear, the Next Generation-era bridge Huddleston found some publicity around is not the one that was used in the filming of the famed television show.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "Man who rescued Star Trek: TNG bridge set now faces child porn charges," 30 May 2018
The publicity today must be devastating for his former wife & his current family.

— terace garnier, Fox News, "SC Dem candidate Parnell under pressure to quit as court files show 'physical cruelty' to ex-wife," 22 May 2018
The publicity today must be devastating for his former wife & his current family.

— caroline kenny, CNN, "Democrats call on top House candidate in South Carolina to exit after violent past surfaces," 22 May 2018
Bad publicity about working conditions is forcing others, such as DPD of Britain, to introduce holiday and sick pay.

— The Economist, "Amazon is not the only threat to legacy post offices," 19 Apr. 2018
Despite the international attention drawn to the church by a video of the raucous performance, which appears on YouTube on the same day, clergy members do not appreciate the free publicity.

— aidin vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, "Timeline: Pussy Riot’s chaotic journey from protest to politics," 27 Mar. 2018
Conway said publicity was no factor in the decision.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Officer's lawyer cross-examines the unarmed bus rider she shot in the back," 19 Feb. 2018

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.

First Known Use of publicity

1609

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

publicity Synonyms

Synonyms

ballyhoo, hype;

advertising, marketing, propaganda;

pronouncement, publication, release;

broadcast, bulletin, dispatch, report, story;

testimonial, write-up;

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

PUBLICITY Defined for English Language Learners

publicity

noun

Definition of publicity for English Language Learners

: something that attracts the attention of the public
: attention that is given to someone or something by newspapers, magazines, television news programs, etc.
: the activity or business of getting people to give attention to someone or something