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
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.
In March 2026, the classmate filed a civil lawsuit naming Griffin, ghostwriter Sam Lansky and the book’s publisher, alleging invasion of privacy, negligence and infliction of emotional distress.
From Salon • Jun. 25, 2026
Also on display will be a rare first printing of the 1776 Declaration of Independence by Philadelphia publisher John Dunlap.
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
The publisher, which luckily had put out enough stock to meet the bestselling demand, said the book had its best week ever at the end of February.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
When Jon Doyle got a text from his publisher out of the blue, he assumed his debut book was about to be dropped.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
The author was Esperanza Mendoza, and the Anti-Slavery Society of California was the publisher.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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.
