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 current would-be investors in a Sacramento ballclub believe that publicity and a wide search will ultimately help their goal for someone with deep pockets.
—
Evan Drellich, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Lawyers for Swift argued that Wade took advantage of the publicity generated by Swift’s album when it was first released to draw attention to her brand.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 28 May 2026
A little over a month prior, the Newman film Nobody’s Fool was released and producer Paramount decided to use some of its leftover publicity budget to sponsor an entrant in the endurance race.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 27 May 2026
Industrial scale combined with radical publicity changes the emotional texture of the whole thing.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for publicity
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.
Evan Drellich, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Lawyers for Swift argued that Wade took advantage of the publicity generated by Swift’s album when it was first released to draw attention to her brand.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 28 May 2026
A little over a month prior, the Newman film Nobody’s Fool was released and producer Paramount decided to use some of its leftover publicity budget to sponsor an entrant in the endurance race.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 27 May 2026
Industrial scale combined with radical publicity changes the emotional texture of the whole thing.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 27 May 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 29 May. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
