publish
Americanverb (used with object)
-
publishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
published,
past participle, past
-
publishing
present participle
-
to issue (printed or otherwise reproduced textual or graphic material, computer software, etc.) for sale or distribution to the public.
-
to issue publicly the work of.
Random House publishes Faulkner.
-
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.
-
to announce formally or officially; proclaim; promulgate.
- Antonyms:
- conceal
-
to make publicly or generally known.
-
Law. to communicate (a defamatory statement) to some person or persons other than the person defamed.
verb (used without object)
-
publishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
published,
past participle, past
-
publishing
present participle
-
to issue newspapers, books, computer software, etc.; engage in publishing.
The new house will start to publish next month.
-
to have one's work published.
She has decided to publish with another house.
verb
-
to produce and issue (printed or electronic matter) for distribution and sale
-
(intr) to have one's written work issued for publication
-
(tr) to announce formally or in public
-
(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
-
publishingnoun
-
mispublishedadjective
-
nonpublishableadjective
-
publishableadjective
-
unpublishableadjective
-
unpublishedadjective
-
well-publishedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
publishsimple
-
publishessimple
-
have publishedperfect
-
has publishedperfect
-
am publishingprogressive
-
are publishingprogressive
-
is publishingprogressive
-
have been publishingperfect progressive
-
has been publishingperfect progressive
Past
-
publishedsimple
-
had publishedperfect
-
was publishingprogressive
-
were publishingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Writing - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Many central banks publish some sort of forecast that lays out what policymakers or the central bank’s staff see as the most likely way the economy will evolve.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
As a result, there is no single forecast similar to what other central banks publish.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
A City University of New York law student who helped organize the march agreed to speak with me on the condition I not publish his name.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
The decision not to publish a final report has added to tensions that threaten to break apart the charity, which was founded in 1949.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
I have made notes about all of it, and if the time ever comes when rats publish books of their own, I intend to write a book about it.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
"This paper publishes a new adult fossil attributed to Homo erectus, DNH 127, providing further confirmation that this species first appeared in southern Africa 2 million years ago."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Japan, which publishes the world’s best data on municipal waste, offers an answer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Cases must be reported to the UK government's Animal and Plant Health agency, which publishes daily updates.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The paper still publishes a print edition, though it is in a tabloid format — smaller in size and more compact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
For adults, Ellipsis Arts publishes traditional music from non-Western cultures.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
In 2018, data published by Strava made it possible to identify military sites and soldiers' routes, notably in Afghanistan and Syria.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Hibbs and Federici published their findings in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer in March 2026.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
“I’m not allowed to drive,” Joel said in the interview published Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
A report published earlier in October set out a number of alternatives to a new motorway, and said the relief road could cost around £3bn.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
His thesis, “AIDS and Accusation,” won a prize and was published as a book by a university press.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
The accusation has caused an uproar on social media and Caine Prize chair Ellah Wakatama told the BBC she was shocked that the US magazine had not waited for a full investigation before publishing.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
He’s also the first to alert Batter that, “In spite of its beauty and grace, the world of poetry publishing is cutthroat.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
"The relevant authorities should have verified these claims with me before releasing or publishing such information," he added.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Paperback publishing was still in its infancy, and most books were issued in hardcover.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
As mass media has grown corporatized—with journalism, publishing, moviemaking, and the music business getting sold and merged into fewer and larger monoliths— geeks feel ever more entitled to take whatever intellectual property they want.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
