readership

American  

[ree-der-ship] / ˈri dərˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the people who read or are thought to read a particular book, newspaper, magazine, etc..

   The periodical has a dwindling readership.

2. the duty, status, or profession of a reader.

3. (especially in British universities) the position of instructor or lecturer.

4. the state or quality of being a reader.

   appealing to a higher level of readership.

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readership British  

/ ˈriːdəʃɪp /

noun

1. all the readers collectively of a particular publication or author

   a readership of five million

   Dickens's readership

2. the office, position, or rank of university reader

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Etymology

Origin of readership

First recorded in 1710–20; reader + -ship

Explanation

Readership is another way to talk about all the readers of a particular book or periodical. If your online magazine has a readership of five, and one of them is your mom, it's not a roaring success. A newspaper, website, or author's readership is their audience — it's the group of people who regularly read their publication. The local zine writer might have a readership in the dozens, while the Harry Potter books have a vast readership, numbering in the millions. When newspapers and magazines started to lose their readerships, many turned their attention to online versions.

Example Sentences

Social media allowed Salgado to cultivate a loyal readership by sharing her poetry for free before even signing her first publishing contract for her book, “Corazón.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The paper’s readership, 2,500 only a few years earlier, surged to 180,000 by the end of 1856.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

Its readership went far beyond McCurdy’s phone contacts.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2026

“Now it is just time for the audience — the readership — to really put its money where its mouth is,” Williams said.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025

“I don’t think their readership is much more than fifteen hundred, maybe two thousand, and half that is from out of state—you probably know that as well as we do.”

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols