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
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.
"You could see already Messi was the best in La Liga and Cristiano was the best in the Premier League," said Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
The dismissal of Pelley, considered the most respected journalist inside CBS News, sent shockwaves through the organization and led to speculation of an exodus by the remaining three correspondents.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Maria O’Donnell, a journalist who drew Milei’s ire after urging him to tone down his rhetoric, said the president often appears to treat criticism as a personal attack.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Shah has called this claim “absolute misinformation” and said that ” I voted for Hillary Clinton, I voted for Joe Biden, I voted for Kamala Harris,” on journalist Brahm Resnik’s 12News show.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
As the journalist Mark Sullivan wrote, of that moment in the garden:
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
