publish
Americanverb (used with object)
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to issue (printed or otherwise reproduced textual or graphic material, computer software, etc.) for sale or distribution to the public.
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to issue publicly the work of.
Random House publishes Faulkner.
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to submit (content) online, as to a message board or blog.
I published a comment on her blog post with examples from my own life.
They publish a new webcomic once a month.
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to announce formally or officially; proclaim; promulgate.
- Antonyms:
- conceal
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to make publicly or generally known.
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Law. to communicate (a defamatory statement) to some person or persons other than the person defamed.
verb (used without object)
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to issue newspapers, books, computer software, etc.; engage in publishing.
The new house will start to publish next month.
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to have one's work published.
She has decided to publish with another house.
verb
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to produce and issue (printed or electronic matter) for distribution and sale
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(intr) to have one's written work issued for publication
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(tr) to announce formally or in public
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(tr) to communicate (defamatory matter) to someone other than the person defamed
to publish a libel
Synonym Usage
See announce.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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publishingnoun
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mispublishedadjective
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nonpublishableadjective
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publishableadjective
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unpublishableadjective
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unpublishedadjective
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well-publishedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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publishsimple
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publishessimple
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have publishedperfect
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has publishedperfect
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am publishingprogressive
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are publishingprogressive
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is publishingprogressive
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have been publishingperfect progressive
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has been publishingperfect progressive
Past
-
publishedsimple
-
had publishedperfect
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was publishingprogressive
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were publishingprogressive
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had been publishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of publish
1300–50; Middle English publisshen < Anglo-French *publiss-, long stem of *publir, for Middle French publier < Latin pūblicāre to make public
Explanation
Anyone can write something just for themselves. If you publish your writing, it's available to others. For a writer, to publish is about the best thing there is. Like a lot of words, publish is used in a few ways. When a writer publishes six articles, six pieces of his or her writing have been accepted for publication in books or magazines. When a company publishes an article or book, it actually prints it up and sells it to the public. If you write a blog, you can also say that you publish your writing. Or, a teacher can publish a magazine of student writing just for her class.
Vocabulary lists containing publish
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Writing - Middle 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.
Many Wall Street analysts just became free to publish investment recommendations on SpaceX, and they largely offered glowing praise of the company and its goals.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026
WalesOnline said it initially refused to publish without a disclaimer that much of the article was misleading.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
The Bank of England will publish the Financial Stability Report on Tuesday and follow up with a press conference.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
Williams would continue to publish until 1866, when she finally abandoned the paper, marrying soon thereafter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
They send professors into middle schools to do research and run tests; they publish thousand-page studies.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
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.
