edition

American  

[ih-dish-uhn] / ɪˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

• editions
  plural

1. one of a series of printings of the same book, newspaper, etc., each issued at a different time and differing from another by alterations, additions, etc. (distinguished from impression).

2. the format in which a literary work is published.

   a one-volume edition of Shakespeare.

3. the whole number of impressions or copies of a book, newspaper, etc., printed from one set of type at one time.

4. a version of anything, printed or not, presented to the public.

   the newest edition of a popular musical revue.

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edition British  

/ ɪˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. printing

   1. the entire number of copies of a book, newspaper, or other publication printed at one time from a single setting of type

   2. a single copy from this number

      a first edition

      the evening edition

2. one of a number of printings of a book or other publication, issued at separate times with alterations, amendments, etc Compare impression

3. 1. an issue of a work identified by its format

      a leather-bound edition of Shakespeare

   2. an issue of a work identified by its editor or publisher

      the Oxford edition of Shakespeare

4. a particular instance of a television or radio programme broadcast

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verb

1. (tr) to produce multiple copies of (an original work of art)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preedition
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• editions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of edition

1545–55; (< Middle French ) < Latin ēditiōn- (stem of ēditiō ) publication, equivalent to ēdit ( us ) (past participle of ēdere; see edit) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

An edition is a particular version of a publication. A book collector will pay a lot of money for a first edition of an important work (but that probably doesn’t include any of the paperbacks on your shelf). Edition can also refer to a book’s format. If you really enjoy reading a particular book, you might want to purchase a leather-bound, gilded-edge edition of it. In addition, edition can designate a particular issue of a newspaper. If you're a fan of crossword puzzles, you know that the toughest puzzle usually appears in the weekend edition.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

edition editions

Welker was previewing Sunday’s edition of “Meet the Press” on NBC’s Washington station WRC, when she made the remarks about Trump’s endorsements.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

It also carries a picture taken at the 60th edition of the Notting Hall carnival, which began on Sunday.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Appeared in the August 31, 2026, print edition as 'A New Look at the Universe'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Surge, which was off last Saturday so will now catch you up on the previous week’s news: Natalie Harp.

From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2026

Choosing a magazine from a rack beneath her chair, she began to thumb through an old edition of The Saturday Evening Post.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Early editions of “The Settlement Cook Book” included chop suey and Spaghetti Italienne, but most of its foreign dishes were either German or German-Jewish, reflecting the largest immigrant groups in Milwaukee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Games that will indulge your ’90s nostalgia: In honor of Party Like It’s 1996, we’ve rolled out ’90s-themed editions of all of our games for Slate Plus members.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

News that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to move back to the UK is prominent across Thursday's papers with several printing late editions to fit it in.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

This has proven true in recent editions of the climate pattern.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

My minimal coverage of Japan in previous editions of Guns, Germs, and Steel constituted the most important geographic lacuna of my book.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• copy
• program
• publication
• release
• version
• volume