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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An obituary from his publicity team, 2911 Media, stated that the cause of death was complications from surgery. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2025 Starlink is also getting additional publicity during the tragic Los Angeles fires, delivering high-bandwidth live video and audio reporting. Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025 As a result of publicity of the case in November, Paynter said more victims contacted authorities to report assaults by the defendant. Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2025 On the stage were more than 20 people, politicians and community leaders, creating the impression of a disorderly group of publicity seekers, two of whom were laughing with each other, another chewing gum. Rick Pozniak, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for publicity 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin pūblicitāt-, pūblicitās, from Latin pūblicus public entry 1 + -itāt-, -itās -ity

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 18 Jan. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on publicity

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