publisher

American  

[puhb-li-sher] / ˈpʌb lɪ ʃər /

noun

• publishers
  plural

1. a person or company whose business is the publishing of books, periodicals, engravings, computer software, etc.

2. the business head of a newspaper organization or publishing house, commonly the owner or the representative of the owner.

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publisher British  

/ ˈpʌblɪʃə /

noun

1. a company or person engaged in publishing periodicals, books, music, etc

2. the proprietor of a newspaper or his representative

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• publishers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of publisher

1425–75; late Middle English: one who proclaims publicly; see publish, -er ¹

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

publisher publishers

The Duke of Sussex and five other high-profile figures who lost a privacy case against the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday are seeking to challenge the High Court ruling.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

During an interview for an assistant at a book publisher in New York, Chas Edwards was asked a question he wasn't expecting.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

A bestselling Irish author, Sally Rooney, has entered the controversy, with her publisher Faber revealing this month it can no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for the group.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

Loyal listeners will have to wait a little longer for the full-cast version of “A Court of Splintered Harmony,” which isn’t expected from publisher Graphic Audio until December.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

The final decision lay with the publisher, Katherine Graham.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

It specialized in graphic novels from independent publishers and the gentleman who ran it gave a strong impression of having read everything in the store.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Even so, Scheffler and his publishers are still discussing the possibility of legal action in his native Germany.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

When Beth Kobliner pitched her book “Get a Financial Life” to publishers in 1996, they told her that young people were too busy having fun to care about money.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

The scheme launched with five independent publishers and is set to announce more members in the coming months.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

The publishers had praised his novel pretty highly and it rather went to his head.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

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Related Words

• journalist
• magazine
• media
• newsperson
• reporter
• writer

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