advocate

Benjamin Franklin may have been a great innovator in science and politics, but on the subject of advocate, he was against change. In 1789, he wrote a letter to his compatriot Noah Webster complaining about a "new word": the verb advocate. Like others of his day, Franklin knew advocate primarily as a noun meaning "one who pleads the cause of another," and he urged Webster to condemn the verb's use. In truth, the verb wasn't as new as Franklin assumed (it dates back to at least the early 16th century), though it was apparently surging in popularity in his day. Webster evidently did not heed Franklin's plea: his famous 1828 dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language, entered both the noun and the verb senses of advocate.

Synonyms

support, uphold, advocate, back, champion mean to favor actively one that meets opposition.

support is least explicit about the nature of the assistance given.

uphold implies extended support given to something attacked.

advocate stresses urging or pleading.

back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.

champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.

Examples of advocate in a Sentence

Noun Quotes--> … two of nanotechnology's biggest advocates square off on a fundamental question that will dramatically affect the future development of this field. — K. Eric Drexler et al. , Chemical & Engineering News , 1 Dec. 2003

Ms. Hart was familiar with local medical-review policies from her work as a patient advocate . — Laurie McGinley , Wall Street Journal , 16 Sept. 2003

Extra Examples--> a passionate advocate of civil rights She works as a consumer advocate. Verb Quotes--> … it makes sense to commence with … a good medium-weight Chardonnay for the wine aficionados. I advocate one with a little oak and lots of fruit … — Anthony Dias Blue , Bon Appétit , November 1997

He advocated the creation of a public promenade along the sea, with arbors and little green tables for the consumption of beer … — Henry James , The American , 1877

Extra Examples--> He advocates traditional teaching methods. The plan is advocated by the president. See More

Expanding advocates in the legislative branch could entail even greater implications for the MAHA movement. — Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Sep. 2024 Environmental advocates are especially concerned about the bill’s setback requirements for projects involving warehouses 250,000 square feet and larger that are within 900 feet of homes, schools, parks or healthcare facilities. — Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2024

In fact, the bank was founded by the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers union in 1923; and since then has always been dedicated to supporting workers by actively advocating for workers’ protections to promoting wage fairness and job creation. — Simon Mainwaring, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 This decision to replace the windows sparked controversy, according to The Art Newspaper, with experts citing violations of the 1964 Venice Charter and cultural heritage guidelines, which advocate for the preservation of original elements unless absolutely necessary. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for advocate

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'advocate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.