author
Americannoun
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authors
plural
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a person who writes a novel, poem, essay, etc.; the composer of a literary work, as distinguished from a compiler, translator, editor, or copyist.
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the literary production or productions of a writer.
to find a passage in an author.
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the maker of anything; creator; originator.
the author of a new tax plan.
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Computers. the writer of a software program, especially a hypertext or multimedia application.
verb (used with object)
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authors,
present (3rd person singular)
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authored,
past participle, past
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authoring
present participle
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to write; be the author of.
He authored a history of the Civil War.
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to originate; create a design for.
She authored a new system for teaching chemistry.
noun
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a person who composes a book, article, or other written work
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a person who writes books as a profession; writer
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the writings of such a person
reviewing a postwar author
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an originator or creator
the author of this plan
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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authorsimple
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authorssimple
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have authoredperfect
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has authoredperfect
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am authoringprogressive
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are authoringprogressive
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is authoringprogressive
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have been authoringperfect progressive
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has been authoringperfect progressive
Past
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authoredsimple
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had authoredperfect
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was authoringprogressive
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were authoringprogressive
-
had been authoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of author
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English auct(h)or, from Latin auctor “founder, originator, writer,” equivalent to aug(ēre) “to increase” ( cf. augment) + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English auto(u)r, from Anglo-French; Old French autor, from Latin, as above
Explanation
An author is a person who writes books or articles, usually for money. It can also refer to the person responsible for something, like the author of a plan to overthrow the student government. Author comes from the Latin word auctorem, meaning "founder, master, leader." Bow down to the author! Well, no need for that, just make sure the author gets credit. Author usually refers to a professional writer. In fact, author can be used interchangeably with the word writer. But author packs a little more punch — an author is involved in the creation of the work and generating the ideas behind it; strictly speaking, a writer could just execute the written product.
Vocabulary lists containing author
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Book Words for Book Worms
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The author of the BCA note, Doug Peta, said that in the early 1980s, the value of equity portfolios and mutual fund holdings was far less than half of households’ disposable income.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
"Biology and electronics are different domains," said Kavya S. Keremane, co-corresponding author and postdoctoral researcher in materials science and engineering at Penn State.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
—Ms. Crowther is the author of “Marilyn and Her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Satizabal is co-senior author of the study with Chen-Pin Wang, PhD, associate professor-research in the Department of Population Health Sciences.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Isaac Granger grew up on Thomas Jefferson’s plantation during the American Revolution and lived among the enslaved people who were called “family” by the author of the Declaration of Independence.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
This failure, the authors explain, was driven by a violation of incentive alignment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The authors report that it didn’t work: “Checklists and templates are tempting, but they often result in employees ‘turning off their brains,’ going through the motions instead of thoughtful application.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The authors say governments and public health agencies should prepare for marine heatwaves in ways similar to how they prepare for heatwaves on land.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
According to a 2025 parliamentary report, 97% of people are annoyed by telemarketing calls, with the authors wryly noting it is "one of those rare issues that unites people in France".
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Some of the earliest authors wrote on clay.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Dutta confirmed to MarketWatch that he authored the post.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Data “help people find order and systemize an incredibly chaotic process,” said Wang, who authored a study on self-datafication and dating spreadsheets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The blueprint has been authored, external by the Re:State think tank which Burnham was involved with until he stepped down as mayor of Greater Manchester.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
That was one of two starts of at least eight innings that he’s authored.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
Enstice's conclusion was further discredited by Dr. Werner Spitz, who had authored the medical treatise Enstice had relied on in her forensic pathology training.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
The artists credited with creating Franklin and authoring his books did not respond to requests from the BBC for comment.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
He led the major leagues in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in 2025, all while authoring his fourth 50-homer campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
When it came to telling Ono’s story, Sheff found himself at loggerheads over the ethics of authoring her biography.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2025
Roberts said he doesn’t expect Ohtani to steal as many bases as he did last year, when the 30-year-old swiped 59 bags while authoring baseball’s first 50-homer, 50-steal season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025
To be sure, men and women have long been authoring their own content, beginning with drawings on cave walls up through Gutenberg and the typewriter.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
