publicist
Americannoun
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publicists
plural
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a person who publicizes, especially a press agent or public-relations consultant.
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an expert in current public or political affairs.
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an expert in public or international law.
noun
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a person who publicizes something, esp a press or publicity agent
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a journalist
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rare a person learned in public or international law
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of publicist
From German, dating back to 1785–95; see origin at public, -ist
Explanation
A publicist creates a media buzz for movie stars, restaurants, or whoever else needs attention. A publicist for a new restaurant might send out a press release to newspapers and magazines announcing the opening, emphasizing the fabulous. Those whose careers depend on getting attention in the media (on TV and the internet, for example) sometimes pay a publicist to generate coverage in the press. Actors, restaurants, writers, and oil companies are all things or people that commonly use publicists. In the eighteenth century, the word instead meant "person who knows public law" or "writer on current topics."
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:
His publicist initially told the Associated Press that the renowned designer died of pneumonia, but a death certificate obtained by Us Weekly paints a different picture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
In 1954, Dad married Anne Buydens, a publicist on his film “Act of Love.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
"Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition," her publicist said.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
“We had these all-female festivals in Olympia, and we had our own publicist, and they were like, how dare we?” says Brownstein.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
“So how do you feel about your decision to do this now that you’re halfway across Washington? Your publicist, Olivia Ogden, said you’ve gone almost—” She checks her notes.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
This is what Walmart, the publicists for the nation’s hottest rising country act, and many politicians have noticed too.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
You’ve got publicists who are like, “Well, we would love for our client to win an award.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Contemporary newspapers published flattering portraits apparently written by publicists on Dillon’s dime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Chat shows used to be one of the first places for publicists to offer their stars, but the huge number of competitors that have sprung up over the last 15 years has changed that.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2025
I'm also relatively certain other teenagers in my neighborhood did not wake up at 5:00 in the morning, along with publicists and studio heads, just so they could watch the Oscar nominations announced live.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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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.
