publication

American  

[puhb-li-key-shuhn] / ˌpʌb lɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• publications
  plural

1. the act of publishing a book, periodical, map, piece of music, engraving, or the like.

2. the act of bringing before the public; announcement.

3. the state or fact of being published.

4. something that is published, especially a periodical.

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publication British  

/ ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of publishing a printed work

2. any printed work offered for sale or distribution

3. the act or an instance of making information public

4. the act of disseminating defamatory matter, esp by communicating it to a third person See libel slander

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpublication
  noun
• propublication
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• publications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of publication

1350–1400; Middle English publicacioun < Latin pūblicātiōn- (stem of pūblicātiō ) a making public, confiscation, equivalent to pūblicāt ( us ) (past participle of pūblicāre to make public ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A publication is something made to communicate with the public. Publications are usually printed on paper (like magazines and books), but online publications are delivered via the Internet. The noun publication comes from the Latin word publicare, meaning “make public.” Publication usually means something is written and made available publicly, but a company or government can submit publications of things like earnings or unemployment indexes that are communicated differently. If you are an aspiring author, publication of your work is, most likely, the Holy Grail you seek.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

publication publications

At the time of publication, Michael Brush owned MTDR, LNG and VG.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

Flagship publication the Sacramento Bee nixed six of 39 union journalists, a 15% cut that eliminated the sports desk, including a long-serving, beloved high school sports reporter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Is the publication primarily funded by rents raised from the office building?

From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026

While Bolton said she hoped the inquiry would prove to be a "pivot point", publication of the report came amid continuing efforts by some campaigners and medical experts to challenge Letby's convictions.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

We can trace it clearly through Newton’s notebooks, even if he compresses it in his first publication.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The latest blow to McClatchy’s newsrooms came last week when Chatham sent layoff notices to more than 90 unionized journalists and media workers at 17 publications in California and elsewhere across the country.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

The filing—from publishers suing Microsoft and OpenAI for alleged copyright infringement—suggests top staff at the companies thought that scraping news sites to train AI models could ultimately damage or destroy those publications.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

He made his announcement during a Monday speech in National Harbor, Maryland, at the Air, Space, and Cyber Conference of the Air and Space Forces Association—an event that would certainly be covered by specialist publications.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Several publications have used their front page to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York City.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Several of his papers found their way into learned publications such as Transfiguration Today, Challenges in Charming, and The Practical Potioneer.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• book
• booklet
• brochure
• information
• issue
• magazine
• news
• newsletter
• newspaper
• pamphlet
• periodical