publication
Americannoun
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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
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.
AFP shared CCDH's report with Meta but the spokesman said: "We cannot address the claims in this report as we were not provided it in advance of publication."
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
A 2019 tribute after the elder Pulte’s death, in a publication of one of his charities, said:
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
"They gave lots of time and careful consideration and decided to go their separate ways," the source told the publication.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Achieving publication in all three journals at the same time is an uncommon milestone in clinical research.
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
In that case, he was born exactly 100 years after the publication of De Revolutionibus, which highlights how quickly science became established once it became part of the Renaissance.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Definitions 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.
