magazine

American  

[mag-uh-zeen, mag-uh-zeen] / ˌmæg əˈzin, ˈmæg əˌzin /

noun

magazines plural

1. a publication that is issued periodically, usually bound in a paper cover, and typically contains essays, stories, poems, etc., by many writers, and often photographs and drawings, frequently specializing in a particular subject or area, as hobbies, news, or sports.

2. a room or place for keeping gunpowder and other explosives, as in a fort or on a warship.

3. a building or place for keeping military stores, as arms, ammunition, or provisions.

4. a metal receptacle for a number of cartridges, inserted into certain types of automatic weapons and when empty removed and replaced by a full receptacle in order to continue firing.

5. Also called magazine show.  Radio and Television.

   1. Also called newsmagazine.  a regularly scheduled news program consisting of several short segments in which various subjects of current interest are examined, usually in greater detail than on a regular newscast.

   2. a program with a varied format that combines interviews, commentary, entertainment, etc.

6. magazine section.

7. Photography. cartridge.

8. a supply chamber, as in a stove.

9. a storehouse; warehouse.

10. a collection of war munitions.

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magazine British  

/ ˌmæɡəˈziːn /

noun

1. a periodical paperback publication containing articles, fiction, photographs, etc

2. a metal box or drum holding several cartridges used in some kinds of automatic firearms; it is removed and replaced when empty

3. a building or compartment for storing weapons, explosives, military provisions, etc

4. a stock of ammunition

5. a device for continuously recharging a handling system, stove, or boiler with solid fuel

6. photog another name for cartridge

7. a rack for automatically feeding a number of slides through a projector

8. a TV or radio programme made up of a series of short nonfiction items

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• magazinish
  adjective
• magaziny
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• magazines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of magazine

First recorded in 1575–85; from French magasin, from Italian magazzino “warehouse, depot” from Arabic makhāzin, plural of makhzan “storehouse”; in English figuratively, as “storehouse of information,” used in book titles (from c1640) and periodical titles (in The Gentleman's Magazine, 1731)

Explanation

A magazine is a printed publication that comes out regularly and includes photographs and articles. Before cell phones became popular, people used to read magazines in doctors' waiting rooms. Magazines were once only printed on paper, but today there are also online magazines. These electronic versions are similar to traditional magazines in that they publish periodically and include stories, illustrations or photos, and usually advertisements. The original definition of magazine was a space for ammunition storage, either in a building or ship, or attached to a weapon. The very first printed magazine was called "Gentleman's Magazine," from the idea that it was a "storehouse" of knowledge.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

magazine magazines

Douthat is the first full-time correspondent named to the venerable CBS News magazine program since it underwent a massive shake-up last spring.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The New York magazine story indicated that Harris was blaming political consultants for her loss in 2024.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Before joining the Times, she was a contributing writer to Time magazine and a correspondent for the Economist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

In a recent poll by Germany's leading football magazine Kicker, external, 80% of readers said they thought Klopp was the right choice.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Andrei had surreptitiously taken a photograph of Bobby at a New Year’s Eve dinner party and sent it to Shakhmatny Bulletin, the Russian chess magazine.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

ALTER: When magazines show bathrooms of the future, they are usually just bathrooms of the present, with more gizmos and connectivity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

The American experiment in liberty fascinates Jimmy, and his papers and magazines reflected that.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The catalogs delivered a rush, Charlotte said, because “It felt like they were telling a story that regular teen magazines kind of couldn’t.”

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

Still a problem was the camera’s smaller-than-usual three-minute film magazine, which meant changing magazines in the middle of intense dramatic scenes, a situation Nolan had to plan for.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

“You do if you want them to do it well,” said Janie, but she pushed back the magazines and stood up.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold

Related Words

• booklet
• brochure
• daily
• journal
• manual
• newsletter
• newspaper
• pamphlet
• paper
• periodical
• weekly