advocate 1 of 2

advocate

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word advocate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of advocate are back, champion, support, and uphold. While all these words mean "to favor actively one that meets opposition," advocate stresses urging or pleading.

advocated prison reform

When is it sensible to use back instead of advocate?

Although the words back and advocate have much in common, back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

refusing to back the call for sanctions

When can champion be used instead of advocate?

In some situations, the words champion and advocate are roughly equivalent. However, champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

championed the rights of children

When is support a more appropriate choice than advocate?

The synonyms support and advocate are sometimes interchangeable, but support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

supports waterfront development

Where would uphold be a reasonable alternative to advocate?

While the synonyms uphold and advocate are close in meaning, uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

upheld the legitimacy of the military action

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of advocate
Noun
The tours visit Greenland, the Arctic, and the Amazon and aim to raise awareness and create more advocates for the environment. Eduardo Garcia, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2025 Immigrant advocates including the American Civil Liberties Union challenged these deportations, arguing that the Trump administration has offered little evidence that the Venezuelans are gang members, and that the men have a right to contest those allegations in court. Joel Rose, NPR, 16 May 2025
Verb
Their 27-year-old daughter, Savannah, has consistently advocated for their release. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 28 May 2025 Garcelle Beauvais is staying booked and busy in her post-Housewives career, focusing now on producing and advocating for meaningful, representation-forward storytelling. Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for advocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for advocate
Noun
  • While proponents argue that these measures will reduce regulatory delays and bolster U.S. technological leadership, there will no doubt be concerns about potential compromises to safety and the undermining of regulatory independence.
    Garth Friesen, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
  • But with three weeks left in the regular session, proponents are still trying to figure out what — if any — changes may move forward this year.
    Jenna Carlesso, Hartford Courant, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • Hope all lawyers at Paul Weiss of conviction join them.
    Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
  • The victims and their lawyers will have to wait to see if the judge will grant the motion to dismiss the case.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • During a news conference before the vote, Mayor Melvin Carter voiced his support for the new names, which were recommended by Minnesota’s Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and endorsed by the St. Paul Parks and Recreation Commission.
    Nick Woltman, Twin Cities, 22 May 2025
  • That ruling was advisory, but it was endorsed overwhelmingly by the United Nations General Assembly.
    Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • The site, frequented by far-right supporters of the president, has been used to spread conspiracy theories.
    Neil Vigdor, New York Times, 28 May 2025
  • To his supporters, Robinson is a truth-telling free speech martyr.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • Separately, attorneys for the families of victims of the shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in 2012 filed a civil lawsuit under a different provision of the law concerning unfair trade practices.
    Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2025
  • If any inmates were denied parole because of the faulty tests, they could be owed a new hearing before the parole board, said attorneys representing inmates affected by the defective drug tests.
    Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • But Andrea Jenkins, who represents the area and supports the city's plan, said residents around the square want vehicle traffic.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 25 May 2025
  • Connecticut has a chance to show a different way – to support workers who exercise their right to organize and bargain collectively by stopping discriminatory treatment of striking workers who file for state unemployment insurance.
    Ed Hawthorne, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
Noun
  • Specifically, your function has to be a polynomial—a combination of variables raised to whole-number exponents and multiplied by coefficients.
    Stephen Ornes, Wired News, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Finding Wiggle Room There is no fast, general purpose method for finding the minima of functions raised to high exponents.
    Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Advocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/advocate. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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