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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"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.
He doubled down on digital, buying dating site Match and travel site Expedia, then went big on magazines by buying publisher Meredith in 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 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
A financial publisher made later-recanted claims in January accusing the platform of serving as a “laundering machine” for transnational criminals.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
The games developer and publisher suffers from "a cost base that is still high, an irregular release calendar and a very strong dependence on a few historic franchises" such as "Assassin's Creed", he added.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
Technological advance required the freest possible pursuit of knowledge, so Holland became the leading publisher and bookseller in Europe, translating works written in other languages and permitting the publication of works proscribed elsewhere.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
