author
Americannoun
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authors
plural
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a person who writes a novel, poem, essay, etc.; the composer of a literary work, as distinguished from a compiler, translator, editor, or copyist.
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the literary production or productions of a writer.
to find a passage in an author.
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the maker of anything; creator; originator.
the author of a new tax plan.
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Computers. the writer of a software program, especially a hypertext or multimedia application.
verb (used with object)
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authors,
present (3rd person singular)
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authored,
past participle, past
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authoring
present participle
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to write; be the author of.
He authored a history of the Civil War.
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to originate; create a design for.
She authored a new system for teaching chemistry.
noun
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a person who composes a book, article, or other written work
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a person who writes books as a profession; writer
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the writings of such a person
reviewing a postwar author
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an originator or creator
the author of this plan
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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authorsimple
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authorssimple
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have authoredperfect
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has authoredperfect
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am authoringprogressive
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are authoringprogressive
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is authoringprogressive
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have been authoringperfect progressive
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has been authoringperfect progressive
Past
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authoredsimple
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had authoredperfect
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was authoringprogressive
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were authoringprogressive
-
had been authoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of author
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English auct(h)or, from Latin auctor “founder, originator, writer,” equivalent to aug(ēre) “to increase” ( cf. augment) + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English auto(u)r, from Anglo-French; Old French autor, from Latin, as above
Explanation
An author is a person who writes books or articles, usually for money. It can also refer to the person responsible for something, like the author of a plan to overthrow the student government. Author comes from the Latin word auctorem, meaning "founder, master, leader." Bow down to the author! Well, no need for that, just make sure the author gets credit. Author usually refers to a professional writer. In fact, author can be used interchangeably with the word writer. But author packs a little more punch — an author is involved in the creation of the work and generating the ideas behind it; strictly speaking, a writer could just execute the written product.
Vocabulary lists containing author
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Book Words for Book Worms
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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:
“I was very sad to learn that my brother had passed away so far away from home,” his sister, “The Book of Harlan” author Bernice L. McFadden, told The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
“To his dying day,” the author writes, “it will give Britton much pleasure to pace around his house in Heinrich Himmler’s very comfortable pair of slippers.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
He was, at one time or other, a senior Conservative politician, a best-selling author, a peer of the realm, and a convicted perjurer.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Argentine author Samanta Schweblin, 48, could be one such pick, literary critic Lina Kalmteg told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
When the insertions arrived in Florence, the covering letter from Riccardi included the sentence, ‘the author may alter or embellish the wording, so long as the substance is preserved’.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
A third novel, published in 1984, First Among Equals, about a cutthroat competition to become Prime Minister, cemented Archer's position as one of Britain's best-selling and highest earning authors.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Who, if not artists, are the authors of the public imagination?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Dr. Pietras and Dr. Craig T. Jordan are both co-lead authors of the study.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
According to the authors, this approach can result in hypertension remaining undetected, untreated, or insufficiently controlled.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
And the film was based on a novel by Philip K. Dick, one of Halliday s favorite authors.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Former High Court justice Simon Moore, who authored the report, was the sole member of the inquiry.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Susan Spence, chair of the ISM manufacturing business survey, who authored the report, said in an interview that she’s “starting to see warning signs” that customers are not spending money on orders.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
One day before, Meta published a blog post, authored by Mosseri, about rolling out new safety features for teens.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
The supervisors who authored the motion, Paloma Aguirre and Terra Lawson-Remer, say that lengthy waits at the border are the responsibility of the federal government.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
By the time I retired in 1986, after thirty-three years at Langley, I had authored or coauthored twenty-six research reports and tutored countless students.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
But he left an indelible mark on the environment, authoring legislation offering incentives to recycle, limiting advertisers’ inflated claims about products’ environmental benefits and combating water and air pollution.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
His career accomplishments include founding the National Museum of African American History and Culture and authoring numerous books, including one on the NMAAHC's creation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
The artists credited with creating Franklin and authoring his books did not respond to requests from the BBC for comment.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
He led the major leagues in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in 2025, all while authoring his fourth 50-homer campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
To be sure, men and women have long been authoring their own content, beginning with drawings on cave walls up through Gutenberg and the typewriter.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
