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
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
In an email to The Verge, Disney publicity executive Chris Bess said there are 118 discs in all — 100 for each individual film and 18 additional discs with bonus content for Pixar films.
—
Wes Davis, The Verge, 18 Sep. 2023
The anxiety cuts both ways, with China’s previously secretive Ministry of State Security launching a large and overt publicity campaign encouraging its citizens to help weed out espionage from all walks of life.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2023
But Arquette, Wolfhard and Bryk’s films do, giving them a boost of celeb publicity.
—Gregg Goldstein, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
But lately, 30-somethings for whom a lacy Victoria’s Secret bra and a J. Crew No. 2 Pencil Skirt were a rite of passage into adulthood may be giving the brands a second look, thanks to a wave of publicity about their updates from fashion publications including GQ and Refinery 29.
—Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023
The property was reportedly sold months after, with the caveat that no publicity photos of the house be released for 10 years.
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 1 Sep. 2023
To be clear: Driver is not breaking any strike rules by appearing in Venice and doing publicity for his biopic of Enzo Ferrari.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2023
And so the first few weeks afterwards, the publicity nationally was huge.
—Allie Weintraub, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2023
The Washington Post noted at the time that the king may have been trying to generate good publicity ahead of a government review of royal finances.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023
See More
Wes Davis, The Verge, 18 Sep. 2023
The anxiety cuts both ways, with China’s previously secretive Ministry of State Security launching a large and overt publicity campaign encouraging its citizens to help weed out espionage from all walks of life.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2023
But Arquette, Wolfhard and Bryk’s films do, giving them a boost of celeb publicity.
—Gregg Goldstein, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
But lately, 30-somethings for whom a lacy Victoria’s Secret bra and a J. Crew No. 2 Pencil Skirt were a rite of passage into adulthood may be giving the brands a second look, thanks to a wave of publicity about their updates from fashion publications including GQ and Refinery 29.
—Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023
The property was reportedly sold months after, with the caveat that no publicity photos of the house be released for 10 years.
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 1 Sep. 2023
To be clear: Driver is not breaking any strike rules by appearing in Venice and doing publicity for his biopic of Enzo Ferrari.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2023
And so the first few weeks afterwards, the publicity nationally was huge.
—Allie Weintraub, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2023
The Washington Post noted at the time that the king may have been trying to generate good publicity ahead of a government review of royal finances.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'publicity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing publicity
Dictionary Entries Near publicity
Cite this Entry
“Publicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/publicity. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
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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
More from Merriam-Webster on publicity
Nglish: Translation of publicity for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of publicity for Arabic Speakers
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