readership
Americannoun
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the people who read or are thought to read a particular book, newspaper, magazine, etc..
The periodical has a dwindling readership.
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the duty, status, or profession of a reader.
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(especially in British universities) the position of instructor or lecturer.
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the state or quality of being a reader.
appealing to a higher level of readership.
noun
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all the readers collectively of a particular publication or author
a readership of five million
Dickens's readership
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the office, position, or rank of university reader
Etymology
Origin of readership
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It bought HuffPost in 2021 to bolster its readership and offerings to advertisers.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Not only has a slew of HR complaints tempered her icy remarks, but slashed budgets and declining readership have forced her hand.
From Salon • May 6, 2026
He arrived vowing to carry out a digital transformation, stem financial losses and reverse a decline in online readership.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026
Hao’s bestselling account of OpenAI and its neoimperial ambitions has received lots of coverage, though it deserves an even wider readership.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025
He concurred that such lively observations about homestead life would be of general interest to his readership.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
