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

Noun (1)

did you see the ads in the paper for cheap round-trip flights to Florida?

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Elon Musk energy-saving scam works by using flashy online ads, unsolicited emails and other deceptive tactics to lure victims. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 2 Feb. 2025

PostTrak audiences say that the most influential pieces of marketing for Companion were in-theater trailers (27%), friends/family (13%), online trailers (8%), TV spots (5%), online video ads (5%) and reviews (5%). —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 1 Feb. 2025

The high-tech cookware brand teamed up with the celebrity chef for a special Super Bowl LIX ad, which PEOPLE can exclusively share. —Rachel Raposas, People.com, 31 Jan. 2025

And that same aesthetic carries through to the company’s new ad campaign, featuring Danish model Mona Tougaard photographed by Dutch duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin and styled by Carlos Nazario. —Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 31 Jan. 2025

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

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