journal

American  

[jur-nl] / ˈdʒɜr nl /

noun

1. a daily record, as of occurrences, experiences, or observations.

   She kept a journal during her European trip.

2. a newspaper, especially a daily one.

3. a periodical or magazine, especially one published for a special group, learned society, or profession.

   the October issue of The English Journal.

4. a record, usually daily, of the proceedings and transactions of a legislative body, an organization, etc.

5. Bookkeeping.

   1. a daybook.

   2. (in the double-entry method) a book into which all transactions are entered from the daybook or blotter to facilitate posting into the ledger.

6. Nautical. a log or logbook.

7. Machinery. the portion of a shaft or axle contained by a plain bearing.

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verb (used without object)

1. to write self-examining or reflective journal entries, especially in school or as part of psychotherapy.

   Students should journal as part of a portfolio assessment program.

journal British  

/ ˈdʒɜːnəl /

noun

1. a newspaper or periodical

2. a book in which a daily record of happenings, etc, is kept

3. an official record of the proceedings of a legislative body

4. accounting

   1. Also called: Book of Original Entry.  one of several books in which transactions are initially recorded to facilitate subsequent entry in the ledger

   2. another name for daybook

5. the part of a shaft or axle in contact with or enclosed by a bearing

6. a plain cylindrical bearing to support a shaft or axle

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Other Word Forms

• journalary adjective
• journalish adjective

Etymology

Origin of journal

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Old French journal “daily,” from Late Latin diurnālis; see diurnal

Explanation

If you keep a daily––or at least somewhat regular––written account of your life, you are keeping a diary or journal. A journal is also a periodical, such as a scientific journal or a scholarly journal. Journal comes from an Old French word which meant daily (jour being the French word for day, as in soup du jour, or “soup of the day”). You can keep a journal in an old notebook, on the computer, or on scraps of paper, but if you keep it in a book made especially for that purpose, then that physical book (whether you've written in it or not) is called a journal.

Example Sentences

Musk's legal team highlighted a 2017 entry in Brockman's personal journal reasoning that it would be lying if Altman publicly asserted OpenAI would stay a nonprofit but became a corporation a short time later.

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

The book often reads like a personal journal without timestamps.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Now a robot named Ace has achieved another milestone for AI and robotics by defeating expert-level humans at table tennis in Tokyo, according to a study published Wednesday in the scientific journal Nature.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

The new report, published in the journal Lancet Public Health, says climate change is extending the flowering season of some plants.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

She peeked ahead to the last page in the book we’d filled, about halfway through the journal.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Related Words

• account
• almanac
• annals
• calendar
• daily
• diary
• gazette
• magazine
• memoir
• monthly
• newspaper
• note
• paper
• periodical
• publication
• review
• tabloid
• weekly