Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To raise to a more important or responsible job or rank.
  • transitive verb To advance (a student) to the next higher grade.
  • transitive verb To contribute to the progress or growth of; further. synonym: advance.
  • transitive verb To urge the adoption of; advocate.
  • transitive verb To attempt to sell or popularize by advertising or publicity.
  • transitive verb To help establish or organize (a new enterprise), as by securing financial backing.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To contribute to the establishment, growth, enlargement, or improvement of, as of anything valuable, or to the development, increase, or influence of, as of anything evil; forward; advance.
  • To exalt, or raise to a higher post or position; prefer in rank or honor: as, to promote a captain to a majority.
  • To inform against.
  • Synonyms To further, help, encourage, assist.
  • To give information; be an informer.
  • In ecclesiastical law, to appeal to an ecclesiastical court, acting therein as informant and receiving compensation or fines exacted from the defendant. Such an informant is called a promoter and the court is said to be promoted.
  • Promoted.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb obsolete To urge on or incite another, as to strife; also, to inform against a person.
  • transitive verb To contribute to the growth, enlargement, or prosperity of (any process or thing that is in course); to forward; to further; to encourage; to advance; to excite
  • transitive verb To exalt in station, rank, or honor; to elevate; to raise; to prefer; to advance.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To raise (someone) to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank.
  • verb transitive To advocate or urge on behalf of (something or someone); to attempt to popularize or sell by means of advertising or publicity.
  • verb To encourage, urge or incite
  • verb sports To elevate to the above league.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb be changed for a superior chess or checker piece
  • verb contribute to the progress or growth of
  • verb give a promotion to or assign to a higher position
  • verb make publicity for; try to sell (a product)
  • verb change a pawn for a better piece by advancing it to the eighth row, or change a checker piece for a more valuable piece by moving it to the row closest to your opponent

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English promoten, from Old French promoter, from Latin prōmovēre, prōmōt- : prō-, forward; see pro– + movēre, to move; see meuə- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin prōmōtus, perfect passive participle of prōmoveō ("move forward, advance").

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Examples

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  • In chess, moving a pawn to the 8th rank, allows it to return as a queen, rook, knight, or bishop. Similar to "kinging" in checkers.

    February 21, 2007