copywriter

American  

[kop-ee-rahy-ter] / ˈkɒp iˌraɪ tər /

noun

1. a writer of copy, especially for advertisements or publicity releases.

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copywriter British  

/ ˈkɒpɪˌraɪtə /

noun

1. a person employed to write advertising copy

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Other Word Forms

• copywriting noun

Etymology

Origin of copywriter

First recorded in 1910–15; copy + writer

Explanation

If you get a job writing ads or press releases, you can call yourself a copywriter. A good copywriter can write quickly and well. Many write for work might refer to themselves as copywriters, though the word specifically describes the type of writing that advertising agencies hire people to do. The text that's written for advertisements is known in the industry as copy, from the Latin root copia, "reproduction or transcript." Writers who produce copy have been known as copywriters since the early 20th century.

Example Sentences

When I first started working in the advertising industry more than 10 years ago, the entry-level salary for a copywriter was $45,000.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026

Sam, now a copywriter in Los Angeles, sees “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go back in time and return to the person she had been.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

Laurie Scott, who works as an ad copywriter, says she opened her Regrow Altadena stand because plants provide solace.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2025

Eloise Edgington, who could not do any work as a copywriter in Barcelona, said she was only receiving occasional messages, could not load web pages on her phone and was trying to conserve her battery.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2025

Their place was only six blocks from where I worked as a copywriter for a small ad agency, so two or three times a week I would drop by after work.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan