poster
poster
Pronunciation
IPA phonetic spelling: /ˈpoʊ.stər/
po- /poʊ/
-ster /stər/
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: poster (e.g., "I hung a new poster on my wall.")
Plural Noun: posters (e.g., "The store was covered in concert posters.")
While less common in everyday usage, "poster" can also function as a verb, particularly in informal contexts or when referring to the act of putting up posters:
Verb (base form): poster (e.g., "We need to poster the neighborhood for the event.")
Verb (past tense): postered (e.g., "They postered the walls with flyers.")
Verb (present participle/gerund): postering (e.g., "Postering for a cause can be very effective.")
Verb (third-person singular present): posters (e.g., "He posters the city every weekend.")
Additionally, "poster" appears in various compound words and phrases, often as an adjective or part of a descriptive noun phrase:
poster boy/girl/child: A person who is a good, or typical, example of something.
four-poster: Referring to a type of bed with posts at each corner.
poster paint: A type of opaque paint.
movie poster, concert poster, wanted poster: Specific types of posters.
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition: A large, often illustrated, printed sheet of paper or other material designed to be displayed publicly, typically for advertising, communicating information, or decorative purposes.
Examples: A concert poster, a "wanted" poster, a motivational poster on a classroom wall.
Synonyms: placard, bill, sign, advertisement, flyer, handbill, broadside, banner.
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, as it describes a physical object. One might consider the absence of such a display, or a digital-only notice.)
Definition: (Informal, Digital Context) An individual who publishes or submits a message, image, or content to an online forum, social media platform, or message board.
Examples: "The last poster in that thread made a valid point." "Many posters expressed their support for the new policy."
Synonyms: user, contributor, participant, commenter, member (of a forum).
Antonyms: lurker (someone who views but doesn't post), observer.
Definition: (Figurative, often in "poster child/boy/girl") An archetypal or representative example of a particular group, idea, or phenomenon, often used to symbolize or embody its characteristics.
Examples: "She became the poster child for sustainable fashion." "He was the poster boy for recklessness."
Synonyms: archetype, emblem, epitome, embodiment, model, symbol, representative.
Antonyms: anomaly, outlier, deviation.
Verb
Definition: To affix or put up posters on a surface, typically a wall, board, or other public area, for the purpose of advertising or disseminating information.
Examples: "They spent all night postering the city with notices about the protest." "The band postered the entire campus to promote their show."
Synonyms: put up, affix, plaster, stick up, display (as a poster), bill (as in "to bill a wall").
Antonyms: remove, tear down, take down, un-poster.
Examples of Use
Newspapers:
"Activists called for the removal of political posters that violated election guidelines." ( The Daily Nation)
"Police are appealing for information after a series of 'wanted' posters appeared in the town overnight." (The Guardian)
Online Publications:
"The article explored the enduring appeal of vintage travel posters and their impact on design history." ( Smithsonian Magazine online)
"A popular online poster shared a detailed analysis of the new game's mechanics, sparking a lively debate in the comments section." ( IGN.com)
"New guidelines aim to curb the spread of misinformation by holding platform posters accountable for their content." ( TechCrunch)
Books:
"Her room was a chaotic collage of band posters, movie stills, and handwritten notes." (From The Fault in Our Stars by John Green)
"The detective noted the faded propaganda poster still clinging to the crumbling brick wall." (From 1984 by George Orwell)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
(Film): In the movie The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne famously hides his escape tunnel behind a large poster of Rita Hayworth.
(Television): "The episode featured a scene where the characters had to poster the neighborhood with flyers for a lost pet." (From Friends, re-runs often aired)
(Music/Concerts): Limited edition concert posters for a popular rock band often sell for high prices among collectors after a show.
(Video Games): Players in many open-world video games can find collectible posters hidden throughout the virtual environment, often referencing in-game lore or fictional products.
General Public Discourse:
"Did you see the new movie poster? It looks really exciting!" (Casual conversation)
"They're going to poster the community center with notices about the upcoming blood drive." (Community meeting discussion)
"That athlete is the poster child for dedication and perseverance." (Commentary during a sports broadcast)
"Someone keeps postering offensive flyers around the university campus, and security is investigating." (Student discussion)
10 Quotes Using Poster
"It doesn't matter how tired I am; I will always still be happy. As soon as you go onstage, you get adrenaline. You hear the crowd: they're screaming your name. They have posters. The energy gives you energy." (Martin Garrix)
"There was a fascinating handmade poster scene in Chicago in the '90s, and and I became friends with many of the artists; the posters were often more impressive than the bands." (Andrew Bird)
"I've never told him this but I used to have posters of David Beckham on the wall of my small room." (Owen Hargreaves)
"In Madrid, there's a big street in the centre called Callao. I remember being there with my mum and pointing to one of the big film posters and saying, 'I want to be up there.' That was my dream, and I got it." (Maria Valverde)
"Every country I go to, I see posters promoting the film in different languages." (Feist)
"I was brought in, not in the photographic department at all, I was brought in on a thing called Special Skills. I was to do posters, pamphlets, murals, propaganda in general, you know." (Ben Shahn)
"I remember Nazi election propaganda posters showing a hateful Jewish face with crooked nose." (Jack Steinberger)
"When I first joined the team, I was playing with the likes of Mia Hamm, Shannon MacMillan, Tiffeny Milbrett - all those big-time players. It was very intimidating. I had some of these players' posters on my wall growing up, and now I was able to play with them." (Carli Lloyd)
"In a way, I was spoon-fed, if you will, a career. It was fully manufactured by a studio that believed that they could put me on their posters and turn me into their bottle of Coca-Cola, their product." (Heath Led1ger)
"The epiphany for me was that I wasn't a writer, and I had to do something with these texts. I put them in the streets as posters." (Jenny Holzer)
Etymology
The word "poster" has a few different origins in English, and its meaning has evolved over time.
The most common meaning of "poster" today, referring to a large printed sheet displayed publicly, comes from the verb "to post." This "post" originally meant "to affix (a paper notice, advertisement, etc.) to a post" (like a wooden pole or a public board), or more generally, "to make known or bring before the public." This sense of "poster" as a noun, meaning a "bill, placard, or thing posted," appeared around 1838.
However, it's interesting to note that "poster" had other, now less common or archaic, meanings even earlier:
In the mid-1500s (around 1538), "poster" was used to refer to someone who travels by post, meaning someone who travels quickly, often by a relay of horses. This comes from an older sense of "post" related to a station where horses were kept for travelers, or a messenger who traveled quickly.
So, while the idea of putting up public notices has existed for centuries (think ancient Roman "albums" or early handbills), the specific word "poster" as we understand it today—the printed item itself—really solidified in the 19th century, directly stemming from the act of "posting" such notices. The digital meaning of "poster" (someone who posts online) is a much more recent development, building on the idea of making something publicly known.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Poster
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "poster," along with some that use synonyms for similar effect:
Poster child/boy/girl: A person or thing that is a perfect or typical example of a particular quality or idea.
Example: "She's become the poster child for sustainable living."
Wanted poster: A public notice, often with a picture, issued to apprehend a criminal.
Example: "His face was practically on a wanted poster after that stunt."
Four-poster bed: A type of bed with tall posts at each corner, often supporting a canopy.
Example: "The grand bedroom featured a magnificent four-poster bed."
To plaster a wall (with posters/flyers): To cover a surface extensively with posters or notices. (Uses a synonym, "plaster," for similar effect as "to poster a wall.")
Example: "They plastered the wall with campaign flyers."
To put up a poster: To display a poster.
Example: "Could you help me put up this poster for the event?"
To take down a poster: To remove a poster from display.
Example: "Someone needs to take down that old movie poster."
To paper over the cracks: (Idiom using a synonym for similar effect, implying a superficial covering like a poster) To try to conceal problems or disagreements rather than properly solving them.
Example: "The government's new policy just seems to be papering over the cracks rather than addressing the core issues."
To be a billboard for something: (Idiom using a synonym for similar effect) To be a highly visible or obvious representation of something.
Example: "With all those logos, he was practically a billboard for corporate sponsors."
A picture is worth a thousand words: (Proverb, often applicable to the power of a poster or visual message) A complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image.
Example: "The impact of that protest poster showed that a picture is worth a thousand words."
To hit the post: (Figurative, derived from sports, not directly about a "poster," but uses the word "post" which relates to the word's origin as something stationary) To narrowly miss a target or goal.
Example: "His shot hit the post and bounced out, denying him the goal." (Included due to the strong etymological link between "poster" and "post.")
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of poster from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
