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Advance

v. hopeful, capable professional

What it means

Meaning 1

To move nearer to a position, place, or desired result.

Reach for it when describing concrete forward progress toward an objective

Daily testing will advance the project from prototype to public trial.

Meaning 2

To actively put forward or support an idea, claim, or cause.

Reach for it when naming deliberate advocacy that brings an argument into consideration

The report advances a practical case for restoring the footpath.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
warm
professional
formal
literary

Meaning 1: To move nearer to a position, place, or desired result.

  • everyday

    progress

    Fits when gradual improvement matters without naming an agent

    Careful Progress can happen naturally while advance often signals directed movement.

  • warm

    move forward

    Fits when plain encouraging language suits a shared effort

    Careful This phrase lacks precision about what actually improved.

  • professional

    accelerate

    Fits when increasing the rate of progress is the achievement

    Careful Acceleration is wrong when movement is steady but not faster.

  • professional

    develop

    Fits when skills, plans, or systems become more mature

    Careful Development can expand sideways without nearing a goal.

  • literary

    forge ahead

    Fits when determined progress continues despite resistance

    Careful The martial energy may overpower a cooperative context.

Meaning 2: To actively put forward or support an idea, claim, or cause.

  • warm

    champion

    Fits when visible personal commitment drives support for a cause

    Careful Champion is too personal when a document merely presents a claim.

  • professional

    promote

    Fits when you actively increase support or visibility

    Careful Promote can sound commercial when the subject is an argument.

  • formal

    propose

    Fits when an idea is formally offered for consideration

    Careful A proposal may be stated once without sustained advocacy.

Opposites 4

  • retreat
  • stall
  • regress
  • suppress

Common phrases 3

  • advance steadily

    Repairs advance steadily whenever the tide is low.

  • advance a cause

    The concert will advance a cause the musicians value.

  • advance knowledge

    Open field notes advance knowledge beyond a single laboratory.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated