Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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.


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

    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

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

"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 produce multiple copies of (an original work of art)

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing edition

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:

Appeared in the October 17, 2026, print edition as 'Who Gets the Bulk of Grandma’s Estate?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Appeared in the October 17, 2026, print edition as 'Two People Intervened In Oregon Shooting'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Appeared in the October 17, 2026, print edition as 'Washington’s ‘Millionaire’ Tax Trick'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Appeared in the October 16, 2026, print edition as 'Netflix’s Content Chief Exits Firm'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

“Hello, beautiful people. It’s your girl, Gervean Campbell, and welcome to another edition of Black, Vegan, and Proud.”

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Ebook editions have already been removed from sale in the UK, although many book shops still have existing stock of physical copies.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The previous two editions of EVO France have taken place in the French Mediterranean city of Nice.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

These special editions, slim enough to slip into a pocket, went everywhere men were under arms, from cockpits to foxholes—even to prisoner-of-war camps in Europe and Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The Beatles’ “Rubber Soul” has gotten the special deluxe treatment, with a bevy of new editions on CD, vinyl and Blu-ray and a museum show’s worth of expertly curated material released Friday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

However, demand was fully re-established in the decade 1600-1609, and not just for the new more complex commentaries such as that of Clavius, published in fat quartos, but also for cheap octavo editions.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com