magazine

American  

[mag-uh-zeen, mag-uh-zeen] / ˌmæg əˈzin, ˈmæg əˌzin /

noun

magazines plural

1. a publication that is issued periodically, usually bound in a paper cover, and typically contains essays, stories, poems, etc., by many writers, and often photographs and drawings, frequently specializing in a particular subject or area, as hobbies, news, or sports.

2. a room or place for keeping gunpowder and other explosives, as in a fort or on a warship.

3. a building or place for keeping military stores, as arms, ammunition, or provisions.

4. a metal receptacle for a number of cartridges, inserted into certain types of automatic weapons and when empty removed and replaced by a full receptacle in order to continue firing.

5. Also called magazine show.  Radio and Television.

   1. Also called newsmagazine.  a regularly scheduled news program consisting of several short segments in which various subjects of current interest are examined, usually in greater detail than on a regular newscast.

   2. a program with a varied format that combines interviews, commentary, entertainment, etc.

6. magazine section.

7. Photography. cartridge.

8. a supply chamber, as in a stove.

9. a storehouse; warehouse.

10. a collection of war munitions.

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magazine British  

/ ˌmæɡəˈziːn /

noun

1. a periodical paperback publication containing articles, fiction, photographs, etc

2. a metal box or drum holding several cartridges used in some kinds of automatic firearms; it is removed and replaced when empty

3. a building or compartment for storing weapons, explosives, military provisions, etc

4. a stock of ammunition

5. a device for continuously recharging a handling system, stove, or boiler with solid fuel

6. photog another name for cartridge

7. a rack for automatically feeding a number of slides through a projector

8. a TV or radio programme made up of a series of short nonfiction items

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• magazinish
  adjective
• magaziny
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• magazines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of magazine

First recorded in 1575–85; from French magasin, from Italian magazzino “warehouse, depot” from Arabic makhāzin, plural of makhzan “storehouse”; in English figuratively, as “storehouse of information,” used in book titles (from c1640) and periodical titles (in The Gentleman's Magazine, 1731)

Explanation

A magazine is a printed publication that comes out regularly and includes photographs and articles. Before cell phones became popular, people used to read magazines in doctors' waiting rooms. Magazines were once only printed on paper, but today there are also online magazines. These electronic versions are similar to traditional magazines in that they publish periodically and include stories, illustrations or photos, and usually advertisements. The original definition of magazine was a space for ammunition storage, either in a building or ship, or attached to a weapon. The very first printed magazine was called "Gentleman's Magazine," from the idea that it was a "storehouse" of knowledge.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

magazine magazines

According to Der Spiegel magazine, he was denied asylum but was given permission to stay as the parent of German child.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

In 1975, 31-year-old Mick Jagger told People magazine that “I’d rather be dead than sing ‘Satisfaction’ at 45.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

The research was featured as the cover story in Significance, the flagship magazine of the Royal Statistical Society and the American Statistical Association.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

In a 2003 interview with Hello! magazine, Lord Snowdon named weekend guests such as the ballerina Margot Fonteyn, financier Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, comedian Peter Sellers, actor Sir John Mills, and author Edna O’Brien.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The magazine offered ten thousand francs for any clues leading to the return of the Mona Lisa.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Elle knows this because she studies fashion magazines with the same riveted attention she devotes to preparing for the LSATs, so she can score the 179 she needs to qualify for admission consideration.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026

Armed with tennis magazines but no formal training, her grandfather instilled a grueling “tough love” grit in Eala and her older brother, who played college tennis at Penn State.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

They fit as naturally in cheap pulp magazines as in upmarket literary glossies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Every day he would send his mother to the local newsagent to buy football magazines and newspapers, spending hours reading up as much as he could about how teams played and how different managers worked.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

Nhamo was now knowledgeable about the food she had seen in magazines so long ago.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• booklet
• brochure
• daily
• journal
• manual
• newsletter
• newspaper
• pamphlet
• paper
• periodical
• weekly