coauthor

American  

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

noun

1. one of two or more joint authors.

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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

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verb

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

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."

Example Sentences

Coauthor Dr. Jo Osborn of Texas A&M University said the findings encourage a broader rethink of how wealth and power functioned in the ancient Andes.

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026

Coauthor Dr. Michael Stein suggests that mekosuchines may have lost much of their inland habitat as the region dried.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2025

Coauthor Kenneth Remy, also from Washington University, said targeting the coronavirus with anti-inflammatory drugs may in fact make things worse by further suppressing the immune system and allowing for unmitigated virus replication.

From Reuters • Jun. 1, 2020

Though he bogs down in endless bungles, Coauthor, Director and Star Woody Allen nonetheless manages to come through with a funny crime flick.

From Time Magazine Archive

Coauthor Kitman came across this historical curiosity at the New York Public Library while he was researching a proposed epic entitled The Making of the Prefident, 1789.

From Time Magazine Archive