publisher
Americannoun
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publishers
plural
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a person or company whose business is the publishing of books, periodicals, engravings, computer software, etc.
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the business head of a newspaper organization or publishing house, commonly the owner or the representative of the owner.
noun
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a company or person engaged in publishing periodicals, books, music, etc
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the proprietor of a newspaper or his representative
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of publisher
1425–75; late Middle English: one who proclaims publicly; see publish, -er 1
Explanation
A builder builds. A dancer dances. A publisher publishes — which is to say, oversees the printing, editing and, most importantly, the selling of books, magazines, websites, and even music. It's a matter of debate who is more important at a magazine, the editor or the publisher, but I'm sure you could get convincing arguments for either. The editor is in charge of content, while the publisher runs the business side of things and often owns the operation, too. The publisher of a newspaper is often also the owner. When a writer wants to get their book published — printed and sold — they send it to a publishing house, which may become the book's publisher.
Vocabulary lists containing publisher
Journalism
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"Dr. Seuss" by Jill Foran
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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:
A reporter and the paper's publisher were also sacked.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
On Friday, the duke is expected to find out more about how much he, and other high-profile complainants, will have to pay the Daily Mail publisher in costs over a failed legal battle.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Heiser remains with Unnamed as its publisher, and continues to guide it to unpredictable destinations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Its British publisher has insisted that "no allegations of plagiarism have been made with respect to" the memoir.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Just inside, a note identifying the publisher as R. L. Polk & Co, the name everyone uses when they talk about the compendium of businesses and people.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Small publishers can be caught in a catch-22 when they have a sudden success.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The publishers themselves can’t fully describe what happened — it was well-reviewed, it went viral, it kept selling, it went viral again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Texas Instruments teamed up with math educators and textbook publishers to create an ecosystem for teacher training programs and instruction materials that would seamlessly standardize TI across American classrooms.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
When Sue Nyathi sent her debut novel The Polygamist to publishers, "they thought there was no market for the book" about a married Zimbabwean man and the women he seduces, she says.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The ruling marked a significant victory for freedom of the press, and it liberated media outlets and publishers to talk more honestly about civil rights protests and activism.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
