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.
While Si was tied to the glitz and glamour of magazine business Condé Nast, Donald was a newspaper man at heart, known as a financially savvy publisher who respected his papers’ editorial independence.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Summarizing the latest in a series of video interviews with its publisher Mike Blinder, E&P reports:
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Richard Jones, co-founder and publisher for Tangent Books in Bristol, said hardback brings huge financial value to the industry.
From BBC • May 24, 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
Barack’s agent felt sure she could resell the idea to a different publisher, though he'd have to get a draft finished soon.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
