publicity

noun

pub·​lic·​i·​ty (ˌ)pə-ˈbli-sə-tē How to pronounce publicity (audio)
-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 If nothing else, the merchandise for the publicity campaign for Y2K will be good. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 Hernandez will discuss the evolution of film festivals, opportunities for publicity and distribution and advice to aspiring filmmakers. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 24 Feb. 2024 Regardless of his publicity, Henry has a full life. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024 Under an avalanche of publicity, students of art, design and social history crowded into the galleries with the limousine society crowd, busloads of tourists and classes of chattering children. Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Def Jam’s longtime head of publicity Gabe Tesoriero is leaving the company as well; his role will presumably will be filled by Republic’s Joseph Carozza. Jem Aswad, Variety, 29 Feb. 2024 There’s been a lot of publicity around the smaller shareholders who were suing Exxon for not moving fast enough on climate, and Exxon is fighting back. Fortune Editors, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 Outside of official publicity, there is little enthusiasm for the war effort, but neither does there seem to be much overt opposition. Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2024 For instance, a soap company can send soap in emergency aid kits for natural disaster relief (opting out of publicity), and/or may offer counseling for their staff. Expert Panel®, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of publicity was in 1609

Dictionary Entries Near publicity

Cite this Entry

“Publicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/publicity. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

publicity

noun
pub·​lic·​i·​ty (ˌ)pə-ˈblis-ət-ē How to pronounce publicity (audio)
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

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