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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publishableadjective
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nonpublishableadjective
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well-publishedadjective
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unpublishedadjective
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publishingnoun
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unpublishableadjective
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mispublishedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have publishedperfect
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has publishedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been publishingperfect progressive
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is publishingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are publishingprogressive
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publishessingular 3rd person
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publishingparticiple
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has been publishingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am publishingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had publishedperfect
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were publishingprogressive plural
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publishedsimple
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was publishingprogressive singular
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publishedparticiple
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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.
It also urged the BLS to publish an assessment of possible bias stemming from lower response rates, which is already under way.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
That's secret until they publish a paper about their work.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
So, every week when we publish the list of potential post-earnings moves, the stocks show this sawtooth pattern surrounding past earnings dates.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
There are so many news stories happening at once that it’s risky to say, “I’m going to write one big story, and I’m going to publish it on this day.”
From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026
Hope it’s that you gave my story to G. M. Pennington’s agent and they want to publish it LOL, he texted back.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
