The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Promote \Pro*mote"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Promoted; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Promoting.] [L. promotus, p. p. of promovere to move
   forward, to promote; pro forward + movere to move. See
   Move.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. To contribute to the growth, enlargement, or prosperity of
      (any process or thing that is in course); to forward; to
      further; to encourage; to advance; to excite; as, to
      promote learning; to promote disorder; to promote a
      business venture. "Born to promote all truth." --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To exalt in station, rank, or honor; to elevate; to raise;
      to prefer; to advance; as, to promote an officer.
      [1913 Webster]

            I will promote thee unto very great honor. --Num.
                                                  xxii. 17.
      [1913 Webster]

            Exalt her, and she shall promote thee. --Prov. iv.
                                                  18.
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: To forward; advance; further; patronize; help; exalt;
        prefer; elevate; dignify.
        [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Promote \Pro*mote"\, v. i.
   To urge on or incite another, as to strife; also, to inform
   against a person. [Obs.]
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

promote
    v 1: contribute to the progress or growth of; "I am promoting
         the use of computers in the classroom" [syn: promote,
         advance, boost, further, encourage]
    2: give a promotion to or assign to a higher position; "John was
       kicked upstairs when a replacement was hired"; "Women tend
       not to advance in the major law firms"; "I got promoted after
       many years of hard work" [syn: promote, upgrade,
       advance, kick upstairs, raise, elevate] [ant:
       break, bump, demote, kick downstairs, relegate]
    3: make publicity for; try to sell (a product); "The salesman is
       aggressively pushing the new computer model"; "The company is
       heavily advertizing their new laptops" [syn: advertise,
       advertize, promote, push]
    4: be changed for a superior chess or checker piece
    5: change a pawn for a better piece by advancing it to the
       eighth row, or change a checker piece for a more valuable
       piece by moving it to the row closest to your opponent

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

149 Moby Thesaurus words for "promote":
   abet, acculturate, act for, actuate, advance, advantage, advertise,
   advocate, aggrandize, aid, ameliorate, amend, animate, answer,
   assist, back, ballyhoo, bark, be instrumental, be right, befit,
   befitting, benefit, better, bill, boost, bring forward, build up,
   bulletin, call attention to, champion, circularize, civilize,
   commend, communicate, compel, conduce to, contribute to, cry,
   cry up, develop, do the trick, edify, educate, elevate, emend,
   encourage, endorse, energize, enhance, enlighten, ennoble, enrich,
   espouse, establish, exalt, expedite, facilitate, fatten, favor,
   fill the bill, fit, force, forward, foster, further, galvanize,
   give a write-up, give publicity, go between, go straight, graduate,
   hasten, help, hype, impart, impel, improve, improve upon, inspire,
   inspirit, kick upstairs, knight, lard, lend wings to, lift,
   make an improvement, make for, mediate, meliorate, mend,
   minister to, motivate, move, move to action, not come amiss,
   nurture, pass, patronize, placard, plug, post, post bills, post up,
   prefer, present, press-agent, profit, propagandize, propel,
   publicize, puff, push, push forward, put forward, quicken, raise,
   recommend, refine upon, reform, sanction, sell, serve, set forward,
   set in motion, side with, socialize, spark, speak for,
   speak highly of, speak warmly of, speak well of, speed, spiel,
   sponsor, stimulate, straighten out, strengthen, subserve,
   suit the occasion, support, tout, transfigure, transform, up,
   upgrade, uplift, work, write up