What does "advocate" mean?
Advocate: One who defends, vindicates, or espouses any cause by argument; a pleader; as, an advocate of free trade, an advocate of truth.
Additional senses
- 2.Christ, considered as an intercessor. We have an Advocate with the Father. 1 John ii.
- 3.Faculty of advocates (Scot.), the Scottish bar in Edinburgh. -- Lord advocate (Scot.), the public prosecutor of crimes, and principal crown lawyer. -- Judge advocate. See under Judge.
- 4.To plead in favor of; to defend by argument, before a tribunal or the public; to support, vindicate, or recommend publicly. To advocate the cause of thy client. Bp. Sanderson (1624). This is the only thing distinct and sensible, that has been advocated. Burke. Eminent orators were engaged to advocate his cause. Mitford.
- 5.To act as advocate. [Obs.] Fuller.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00