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

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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

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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

My colleague, Cristina Lourosa-Ricardo, will return for next week’s edition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Appeared in the October 17, 2026, print edition as 'All the President’s Election Excuses'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Appeared in the October 17, 2026, print edition as 'Proofpoint to Buy Varonis in $6.3 Billion Deal'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Appeared in the October 16, 2026, print edition as 'Cloud Upstart’s Stock Whipsaws'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

I’m more high-profile than ever now that the Guinness Book of World Records is coming to Chokecherry to photograph our chain for their new edition.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

The man Christopher Nolan calls the greatest filmmaker who ever lived now has his monument: “The Complete Kubrick,” a 30-disc, $600 boxed set of 4K Blu-Ray editions of all 13 features.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 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

Between the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Forbes 400, for example, Musk’s net worth stayed flat.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

The BBC understands Penguin, the publishers of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, will be amending this one point in future editions of the book.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Not the present issue, but the old editions which were used in past years.”

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

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Related Words

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

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