public relations

Save This Word!

See synonyms for public relations on Thesaurus.com

noun

(used with a plural verb) the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.

(used with a singular verb) the art, technique, or profession of promoting such goodwill.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of public relations

First recorded in 1800–10

Words nearby public relations

public-opinion poll, public ownership, public policy, public prosecutor, Public Record Office, public relations, public room, public sale, public school, public sector, public servant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use public relations in a sentence

A former sportswriter who covered the Washington NFL team for the now-defunct Washington Star and the Washington Times, Hurney spent a year in the team’s public relations department before following general manager Bobby Beathard to San Diego.
Washington is working on a deal to hire Marty Hurney as team’s new GM|Nicki Jhabvala|January 19, 2021|Washington Post
A public relations staffer asked Young if he wanted to speak to the media.
Chase Young’s upbringing made him a ‘crazy unusual’ leader, and Washington is already following|Sam Fortier|January 1, 2021|Washington Post
As Stimson began logging in another coastal watershed, which supplies drinking water to the nearby town of Oceanside, the company tried to mitigate the public relations damage from a citizen group that Webster formed.
Timber Tax Cuts Cost Oregon Towns Billions. Then Polluted Water Drove Up the Price.|by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and Rob Davis, The Oregonian/OregonLive|January 1, 2021|ProPublica
Boston Dynamics’ primary output from a public relations perspective was viral videos of impressive but imposing quadrupedal robots built with the aid of defense department contracts.
2020 will change the way we look at robotics|Brian Heater|December 30, 2020|TechCrunch

Jim Olson is a public relations professor of practice at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications and a former corporate communications executive at United Airlines, Starbucks, and US Airways.
After 2020, we all need a gap year|matthewheimer|December 25, 2020|Fortune
It sounds like from the PR [public relations] perspective they are sticking to their guns.
FBI Won’t Stop Blaming North Korea for Sony Hack -- Despite New Evidence|Shane Harris|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But all these groups are reaching a point where vengeance takes priority over politics or, much less, public relations.
Pakistani School Killers Want to Strike the U.S.|Sami Yousafzai, Christopher Dickey|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This might be why Cosby is keeping mum on the accusations, despite the obvious public relations disaster.
No Wonder Cosby's Keeping Quiet: He Could Still Be Prosecuted|Jay Michaelson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When people accused of something make smart legal decisions, they are often also making very unwise public relations decisions.
Untruth and Consequences in Ferguson|Matt Lewis|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bowie was born David Jones to a waitress mother and public relations father in Brixton, England, in 1947.
The Making—and Remaking—of David Bowie|Justin Jones|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"I suppose public relations are important—" Hausman began to say, and Garces nodded quickly.
The Stars, My Brothers|Edmond Hamilton
Is there such a thing as morality carried into public relations?
The Christian Foundation, Or, Scientific and Religious Journal, Volume 1, January, 1880|Various
It amounts to a public-relations job, a production, with me merely censoring aspects that might be bad for Dabney's psyche.
Operation: Outer Space|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
"Nothing's impossible to public relations if you spend enough money," Cochrane assured him.
Operation: Outer Space|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
But of course, if a man wanted only to be famous, it might be handled as a straight public-relations job.
Operation: Outer Space|William Fitzgerald Jenkins

British Dictionary definitions for public relations

public relations

noun (functioning as singular or plural)

the practice of creating, promoting, or maintaining goodwill and a favourable image among the public towards an institution, public body, etc
the methods and techniques employed
(as modifier)the public relations industry

the condition of the relationship between an organization and the public

the professional staff employed to create, promote, or maintain a favourable relationship between an organization and the public

Abbreviation: PR

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

public relations

Origin of public relations

Words nearby public relations

Words related to public relations

How to use public relations in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for public relations