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
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
The defense asked for a change of venue because of pretrial publicity, and prosecutors agreed.
—
John Raby, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Ford Motor received unintentional publicity during the Super Bowl halftime show.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
Dubai moved to end the negative publicity swirling around one of its most prominent companies by appointing a new leadership team to ports group DP World.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The jury selection took place in neighboring Hall County after defense attorneys requested a change of venue due to the extensive publicity of the case.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for publicity
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John Raby, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Ford Motor received unintentional publicity during the Super Bowl halftime show.
—Jamie L. Lareau, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
Dubai moved to end the negative publicity swirling around one of its most prominent companies by appointing a new leadership team to ports group DP World.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The jury selection took place in neighboring Hall County after defense attorneys requested a change of venue due to the extensive publicity of the case.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for publicity
Cite this Entry
“Publicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/publicity. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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