Fill in the clank with an appropriate option.

The makers of sports drinks spend tens to hundreds of millions of dollars _______their products each year.

advertising

The correct option to fill in the blank is advertising.

The sentence is about the amount of money that sports drink makers spend on advertising their products. The word "advertising" is the most appropriate word to use in this context, as it refers to the act of promoting a product or service through paid media.

The other options are not as appropriate:

• Snacking means to eat small, light meals or snacks between regular meals. It would not be accurate to use "snacking" in this context, as the makers of sports drinks are not eating their products.
• Lingering means to stay in a place for longer than necessary. It would not be accurate to use "lingering" in this context, as the makers of sports drinks are not staying in one place for longer than necessary.
• Varying means to change or differ from one thing to another. It would not be accurate to use "varying" in this context, as the makers of sports drinks are not changing their products from one year to the next.