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 (etymologists have traced it back as far as 1599), 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.
back suggests supporting by lending assistance to one failing or falling.
refusing to back the call for sanctions
champion suggests publicly defending one unjustly attacked or too weak to advocate his or her own cause.
championed the rights of children
Example Sentences
Noun… 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. 2003Ms. Hart was familiar with local medical-review policies from her work as a patient advocate. Laurie McGinley, Wall Street Journal, 16 Sept. 2003 a passionate advocate of civil rights She works as a consumer advocate. Verb… 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 1997He 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 He advocates traditional teaching methods. The plan is advocated by the president. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The idea of offering nightly rentals of homes on wheels was the brain child of former Portland school teacher Deb Delman and small-house advocate Kol Peterson.oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2022 About 40% of carbon emissions stems from buildings, so such incentives could help the U.S. achieve its goal of lowering fossil-fuel emissions, said Lauren Urbanek, senior energy policy advocate at the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense League. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2022 The White House’s top advocate for the nation’s 33.2 million small businesses visited San Diego this week. Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 One of those critics, a prominent animal rights advocate, stood before the county commission Thursday and made her discontent quite clear, going so far as to demand Wood be fired. Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 The criminal justice advocate and law student also shared some details about her forthcoming true crime podcast on Spotify. Lisa Respers France, CNN, 8 Sep. 2022 An app built by Bay Area Powerwall owner and electrification advocate Rick Davis tracks the amount of electricity the batteries send back to the grid. Erica Werner, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 Parent advocate Vernee Wilkinson pressed administrators for a plan to provide makeup work to students who miss out because of transportation issues. Christopher Huffaker, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2022 As Monbiot, a British environmental writer and advocate, knows better than most, these difficulties make growing even a small supplement to our diet an uncertain and time-consuming exercise. Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books, 7 Sep. 2022
Verb
Two grieving parents are opening up about the death of their teenage son, who succumbed to a severe asthma attack last month, in hopes of encouraging other parents to listen to their instincts and advocate for their children. Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2022 While in the governor’s office, Chatterjee worked extensively with Rep. Karin Power and Calderon to write and advocate for House Bill 3073.oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2022 The two organizations are working together to mobilize employer-purchasers, educate policymakers, and advocate for public policies to reduce health care prices. Elizabeth Mitchell And Mike Thompson, STAT, 1 Sep. 2022 Enlarge / Delivery workers in NYC have banded together to protect their bikes, improve conditions and wages, and, now, advocate against an outright e-bike ban in public housing. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2022 There are humanitarian and technocratic reasons to advocate for a Social Security agreement between the U.S. and Mexico. Michael Taylor, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Aug. 2022 The release also states that HSE and the teacher apologized to the Shahnavaz family and says HSE does not advocate for defunding the police. Madison Smalstig, The Indianapolis Star, 31 Aug. 2022 The groups the coalition will support include those that register Black voters, educate Latino evangelical communities on the issues that matter to them, and advocate for the restoration of voting rights for people with a felony conviction. Ellie Silverman, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Aug. 2022 The groups the coalition will support include those that register Black voters, educate Latino evangelical communities on the issues that matter to them, and advocate for the restoration of voting rights for people with a felony conviction. Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English avocat, advocat, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin advocātus, noun derivative from past participle of advocāre "to summon, call to one's aid," from ad-ad- + vocāre "to call" — more at vocation