publication
Americannoun
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publications
plural
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the act of publishing a book, periodical, map, piece of music, engraving, or the like.
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the act of bringing before the public; announcement.
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the state or fact of being published.
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something that is published, especially a periodical.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing publication
National Librarian Day
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Reading: Informational - Middle School
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Media Literacy - High School
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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:
The Hollywood-focused publication Deadline also reported Disney was planning more layoffs.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
According to travel industry publication Skift, Visit Norway’s toilet webpage attracted more than 80,000 views from over 170 countries in five days, with traffic surging to more than 540 times the previous week’s level.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026
Counsel is drafting a legal brief, not an item for the front page of some tabloid publication.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The legal team for ITN and The Guardian told the court that the celebrity's "suicide risk" could be mitigated and there was no proper basis "to restrain the publication of public interest journalism".
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Freedom's Journal, the first black-owned newspaper, begins publication in New York City.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
The wearing of fur is a controversial subject within fashion circles, with publications and fashion brands choosing not to use or promote it several years ago.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
The survey begat headlines in the media, especially in finance-oriented publications like Fortune and Barron’s, that figuratively wrung their hands over the travails of the upper crust.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
This, and a range of other publications hailing Asia’s economic “miracle” led Edwards to conclude “too many people believed the beguiling narrative” and as a consequence, “lent these economies cheap, abundant capital which was misallocated.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
He also has written reviews and essays for a variety of magazines, anthologies and online publications, most recently the "Everyone's Gone to the Movies" essay collections for Ghost Show Press.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Various publications and TV networks were holding after-parties—the Huffington Post, NBC News.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
