advocate

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 7, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>advocate</strong> &#149; \AD-vuh-kayt\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> to support or argue for (a cause, policy, etc.) <strong>:</strong> to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plead">plead</a> in favor of</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"During quarantine, teachers are broadcasting lessons from their own homes and figuring out new remote-learning technology and platforms on the fly, all while continuing to educate and connect with our kids. <em>Advocating</em> for the children of the world is no easy task, so I wanted to show teachers a little extra love right now." — <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/reese-witherspoons-draper-james-gives-teachers-free-dresses-1288237">Reese Witherspoon, quoted in <em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>, 2 Apr. 2020</a></p> <p>"As a journalist, [Zimbabwean Zororo] Makamba often used his platform to <em>advocate</em> for reform and transparency. In his online talk show, 'State of the Nation,' as well as appearances on other current affairs programs, Makamba argued for renewable energy, school reform, anti-corruption measures and youth empowerment." — <a href="https://time.com/5814406/coronavirus-obituaries/?linkId=87714261">Andrew R. Chow, <em>Time</em>, 3 Apr. 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>Benjamin Franklin may have been a great innovator in science and politics, but on the subject of <em>advocate</em>, he was against change. In 1789, he wrote a letter to his compatriot Noah Webster complaining about a "new word": the verb <em>advocate</em>. Like others of his day, Franklin knew <em>advocate</em> primarily as a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/advocate">noun</a> meaning "one who pleads the cause of another," and he urged Webster to condemn the v