journalist
Americannoun
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a person who practices the occupation or profession of journalism.
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a person who keeps a journal, diary, or other record of daily events.
noun
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a person whose occupation is journalism
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a person who keeps a journal
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of journalist
Explanation
A journalist is a person whose job involves writing nonfiction stories for newspapers, magazines, or online news sites. If you are reading or hearing a news story, you have a journalist to thank for providing that story. One type of journalist is a reporter, who researches topics and interviews people before writing a story or producing a piece for TV. Editors, photographers, and columnists can also be described as journalists, particularly if they work for a newspaper. Another kind of journalist is a person who regularly writes in a journal or diary. Journalist comes from the Old French jornel, "day" or "day's work," which became journal, "daily publication."
Vocabulary lists containing journalist
Journalism
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"Hip-Hop as Culture" and "I Am Somebody"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for April 1–April 7, 2023
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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:
In the words of one 1930s journalist quoted by Mr. Dillon, the glaring inequities of Shanghai in the 19th and early 20th centuries made it “a complete political ulcer on the face of China.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
But local journalist Mustafa Canka, who has tracked the project for years, said previous estimates put the cost of restarting the salt industry and preserving the salina at almost five times the earmarked amount.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
“I gather that everyone here is 100% certain Graham Platner is a Nazi antisemite,” the left-wing journalist Ryan Grim wrote on Bluesky in early March.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
For the documentary, Davies teamed up with investigative journalist Liam Connell, who has previously infiltrated secretive online networks.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
“War by tantrum,” said the journalist James Reston.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Trump spoke in front of several members of his top team as he gave his address, but journalists were unable to put questions to the president.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
AFP journalists saw delegation vehicles entering the US embassy compound in the heart of Rome under tight security on Tuesday morning ahead of the talks, while the embassy declined to comment when asked.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
She was talking about journalists, but it can be just as true of novelists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
He couldn’t put a number to the amount of people he treated, which included U.S. soldiers, Iraqis, contractors, and journalists.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
Some journalists may have had an additional motive.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
