public relations

noun

plural in form but usually singular in construction

often attributive

: the business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution

also : the degree of understanding and goodwill achieved

Examples of public relations in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Maines worked in conjunction with Method Communications, the outside firm retained to support Meghan and Harry's communications efforts, and largely handled the duchess' public relations work. —Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025

Local reactions and political support During a prefectural assembly session on Monday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party proposed a supplementary budget including about 31 million yen for public relations activities related to the restart. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 23 Dec. 2025

Miami squeaked into the postseason after a long and protracted battle — with a public relations nudge from the ACC — to leap past Notre Dame. —Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025

This led me to question truth in terms of the usefulness of propaganda keeping soldiers safe during war, and why countries use public relations firms. —Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for public relations

• abbreviations
• abominations
• accelerations
• accommodations
• accumulations
• adjudications
• administrations
• adulterations
• affiliations
• agglomerations
• alienations
• amalgamations

Kids Definition

public relations

noun

1

: the business of creating public goodwill for a person, firm, or institution

2

: the degree of understanding and goodwill achieved