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
-
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
-
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.
See Examples For:
He believes that the companies that create AI apps and the platforms used to publish fake videos and other material must be held legally accountable along with the people who create misinformation.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
While Damodaran might publish one or two valuations a month, the bot can run that same analysis across the entire S&P 500 with the push of a button.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
If the bill passes, the state’s Department of Justice would publish a roster of compliant printers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
The justices publish their opinions a few dozen times a year.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026
Filipino journalists faced numerous challenges to publish their newspapers.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
That is when July CPI publishes — the first print with any of this information inside it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
The agency publishes a schedule of what days and times to expect the ritual, based on moon cycles and the timing at San Pedro’s Cabrillo Beach, a known grunion hotspot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The annual salaries list is far from a complete picture of what top talent at the BBC earn, as the corporation only publishes the names of stars it pays directly.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“Doonesbury”—which still publishes once a week—has always had more words than most other cartoons and very little action, its closing note often one of doleful recognition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Each year, the federal government publishes a list of those Native entities in its federal register.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
And the humorous style of his Little Black Bird Book, published in 1980, made it a bestseller.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
In the three-page letter published Sunday evening, Arnault responded to a series of points raised in Le Monde’s articles with a mix of sarcasm, self-defense and score-settling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
She never published again, though many championed her gifts, including me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
“The current setup resembles early-to-mid 2021, when leadership shifted toward quality after an early-cycle rebound post-covid,” strategists at the investment bank led by Michael Wilson wrote in a note published Monday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Incredibly, not one newspaper published or even mentioned his letter.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
The BBC's US partner CBS and other outlets reported that law enforcement had requested that media hold off publishing details of any of the notes while they investigated Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
One hundred would be awesome, though, so that my children can get all the publishing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The £340m programme announced by Burnham follows the government of former PM Sir Keir Starmer publishing a national plan to end homelessness in December.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Last fall’s record-long government shutdown prevented it from publishing any inflation statistics at all in October, an unprecedented lapse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
As for him, he’ll keep his job in publishing and just commute.
From "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes
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.
