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coauthor

American  
[koh-aw-ther, koh-aw-] / koʊˈɔ θər, ˈkoʊˌɔ- /

noun

  1. one of two or more joint authors.


verb (used with object)

  1. to write in joint authorship.

coauthor British  
/ kəʊˈɔːθə /

noun

  1. a person who shares the writing of a book, article, etc, with another

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to be the joint author of (a book, article, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of coauthor

First recorded in 1860–65; co- + author


Explanation

A coauthor is someone who works with another person to write something. If three people take turns writing chapters of a novel, each of them can call herself a coauthor. You can spell the noun coauthor with or without a hyphen — co-author is also correct. Whenever it takes more than one person to write a book, the book can be said to have coauthors. And if you collaborate with a friend on a hand-written magazine, you are one of its coauthors. The word comes from author, or writer, and the prefix co, which means "together" or "mutually."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing coauthor

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:

"This new dataset fixes coordinate errors in previous Earth rotation studies. Additionally, it improves the accuracy of dating and reconstructing historical astronomical events," said coauthor Mitsuru Sôma of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

Carly Phillips, a coauthor and senior scientist at the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists, said that’s why research focusing on the role these companies play in the climate crisis is important.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

While study coauthor David Hendel was examining images of the ultra-diffuse galaxy UGC 9050-Dw1 for their publication, he noticed a faint, narrow arc that looked like a stellar stream.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

McKenzie, a coauthor of the study, said producing this dust on Earth gives scientists access to conditions that cannot easily be examined directly in space.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Later, Elizebeth was named as coauthor on one of them.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

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