publicity

noun

pub·​lic·​i·​ty (ˌ)pə-ˈbli-sə-tē 

-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

Synonyms

• ballyhoo
• hype
• puffery

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

But much publicity has been delightfully unplanned. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 31 Oct. 2024

He’s been supportive of our slate from the very beginning, all through marketing, distribution, publicity. —Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2024

Since its major launch into publicity literally two years ago, AI (artificial intelligence) has rapidly increased in importance to become among the most non-negotiable and fastest growing skills in today's workforce. —Rachel Wells, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

As described in Section 7, Participants may be asked to complete a publicity release. —TIME.com, 1 Nov. 2024

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

Phrases Containing publicity

• publicity stunt

Kids Definition

publicity

noun

pub·​lic·​i·​ty (ˌ)pə-ˈblis-ət-ē 

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