publication

American  

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

noun

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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• nonpublication
  noun
• propublication
  adjective

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

Longevity Technology External link, a trade publication, calls 2026 a “breakout year” for longevity biotech, saying that total capital raised in the first quarter was up 56% year over year to $3.74 billion.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

“To enter Colossal’s 55,000-square-foot Dallas headquarters is to find one’s senses fairly assaulted by the Power of Tech,” the publication wrote, describing it as a place where “many wondrous things are happening.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Ads for the digital publication sold quickly, mostly to travel companies, while stories included a feature on a honeymoon destination with fly fishing and sporting clays.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Writing in Spanish daily publication El Mundo in 2024, Shakira, 49, compared the tax office investigations into her affairs to an "inquisition trial".

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Brahe’s caution about committing himself to this, the dissolution of the celestial spheres, is probably what had caused the delay in publication.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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