publisher
Americannoun
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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
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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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.
News Corp, the owner of Barron’s publisher Dow Jones, has sued Perplexity, alleging copyright infringement.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
Controversy over authors using AI has made regular headlines, including in March when publisher Hachette pulled the book “Shy Girl” over allegations that it was partly AI-composed.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
The same mailing address is also listed on the 2024 IRS filing for Dallas Express Media, the parent company for the conservative online site Dallas Express, of which Bennett is publisher.
From Salon • May 3, 2026
He was on a phone call to a publisher when he heard some music he liked playing in the background.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
But his publisher did not think one huge book would sell well and encouraged him to publish smaller books about more specific topics, which is what he did.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
