ad

1 of 7

noun (1)

ˈad 

often attributive

1

: advertisement sense 1

newspapers ads

TV ads for new cars

2

: advertising

an ad agency

ad

2 of 7

noun (2)

: advantage sense 4

AD

3 of 7

abbreviation (1)

1

active duty

2

after date

3

airworthiness directive

4

Alzheimer's disease

5

anno Domini

—often printed in small capitals and often punctuated

6

assembly district

7

assistant director

8

athletic director

9

right ear

—used especially in audiology and in writing medical prescriptions

A/D

4 of 7

abbreviation (2)

analog/digital

ad-

5 of 7

prefix

variants or ac- or af- or ag- or al- or ap- or as- or at-

1

: to : toward

—usually ac- before c, k, or q

acculturation

and af- before f

affluent

and ag- before g

aggradation

and al- before l

alliteration

and ap- before p

apportion

and as- before s

assuasive

and at- before t

attune

and ad- before other sounds but sometimes ad- even before one of the listed consonants

adsorb

2

: near : adjacent to

—in this sense always in the form ad-

adrenal

-ad

6 of 7

adverb suffix

: in the direction of : toward

cephalad

-ad

7 of 7

noun suffix

: member of a botanical group

bromeliad

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• advert [chiefly British]
• advertisement
• announcement
• bulletin
• communiqué
• notice
• notification
• posting
• release

Examples of ad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But Paramount today faces significant challenges, including the decline of linear TV, which has shrunk valuable ad revenue, the company’s struggles with its streaming service Paramount+ and a larger, industrywide question about when — if ever — box office revenue will return to pre-pandemic levels. —Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

The ad was largely credited for helping Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, win reelection in 2023. —Marjorie McAfee, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2024

Ina answered an ad for a speciality food story in West Hampton, N.Y. called Barefoot Contessa, which would become her brand name and the beginning of her culinary stardom. —Ana Calderone, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024

Then, according to Premiere Networks, iHeart pays money made from the show’s ads to Truth and Courage PAC, an independent political action committee that supports Cruz’s reelection. —Ariel Shapiro, The Verge, 9 Apr. 2024

That movie stars Cary Grant as an ad exec mistaken for a fictional man created by an American intelligence agency to distract an enemy spy. —Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

The Super Bowl ad angered many Kennedy family members, and some have since become more outspoken about their support for Biden and their frustration with their relative’s presidential run. —Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024

This gave Facebook greater dominance in its all-important ad division, plaintiffs allege, so the company was fine to retreat from Netflix’s streaming territory by shuttering Watch. —Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024

These two categories make up the national TV ad category, which Magna projects will drop 4.7 percent this year. —Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

by shortening

Noun (2)

by shortening

Prefix

borrowed from Latin, prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives, marking movement toward, tendency, addition, from ad, preposition, "to, as far as, at, near, in accordance with" — more at at entry 1

Adverb suffix

borrowed from Latin ad "to, toward" — more at at entry 1

Noun suffix

borrowed from New Latin -ad-, -as, borrowed from Greek -ad-, -as, feminine noun suffix denoting descent from or connection with

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1915, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ad

• ad val
• ad loc
• ad nauseam
• ad rem
• ad server
• ad interim
• ad int
• ad feminam
• ad lib
• ad hoc
• ad libitum
• ad hominem
• ad infinitum
• ad eundem
• terminus ad quem
• want ad
• habeas corpus ad subjiciendum
• ad verbum
• ad valorem
• small ad
• subpoena ad testificandum
• personal ad
• reductio ad absurdum
• ad blocker
• ad agency
• banner ad
• ad eundem gradum

Kids Definition

ad

1 of 2 noun

ˈad

: advertisement sense 2

ad-

2 of 2 prefix

variants or ac- or af- or ag- or al- or ap- or as- or at-

: to : toward

—usually ac- before c, k, or q and af- before f and ag- before g and al- before l and ap- before p and as- before s and at- before t and ad- before other sounds but sometimes ad- even before one of the listed consonants

Etymology

Prefix

Latin ad- "to, toward"

Medical Definition

AD

abbreviation

1

Alzheimer disease; Alzheimer's disease

2

atopic dermatitis

3

[Latin auris dextra] right ear

—used especially in audiology and in writing medical prescriptions

4

average deviation