1. Publicly support or argue in favor of a policy, idea, or action.
2. A person who argues for a cause or represents another person's interests.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- advocate reform
- advocate a policy
On the page
The report advocates reform rather than a return to earlier rules.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- advocate
- Past tense
- advocated
- Past participle
- advocated
- Present participle
- advocating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- advocate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are advocating
- Present perfect
- have/has advocated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been advocating
- Past
- advocated
- Past continuous
- was/were advocating
- Past perfect
- had advocated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been advocating
- Future
- will advocate
- Future continuous
- will be advocating
- Future perfect
- will have advocated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been advocating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: advocate; advocates; advocated; advocated; advocating. Noun singular advocate; plural advocates. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation, evaluation. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: advocates.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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