publish

verb

pub·​lish ˈpə-blish 

published; publishing; publishes

transitive verb

1

a

: to make generally known

b

: to make public announcement of

2

a

: to disseminate to the public

b

: to produce or release for distribution

specifically : print sense 2c

c

: to issue the work of (an author)

intransitive verb

1

: to put out an edition

2

: to have one's work accepted for publication

publishable

ˈpə-bli-shə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms of publish

• print
• issue
• reprint

Examples of publish in a Sentence

It's a small company that only publishes about four books a year.

The university press publishes academic titles.

The newspaper is published daily.

There is a lot of pressure for professors to publish regularly.

He has not published anything for a long time.

The magazine published two of my stories.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Labor Department published a rule Friday that would undo egregious attempts during the last administration to classify more workers as employees rather than independent contractors. —Editorial Board, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2026

The post, which was published last Sunday, specifically said it was not meant to be predictive. —Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 28 Feb. 2026

The protesters never mentioned his name on their live stream and never published his actual home address. —James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2026

The latest rebuke came in the form of a 22-page opinion published Friday, three days after the Leavenworth City Commission reviewed CoreCivic’s special use permit application and voted 4-1 to advance it to final consideration on March 10. —Matthew Kelly february 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English publisshen "to make publicly known, proclaim, divulge (the contents of something written), present (something written, a book) to the public," borrowed (with extension by -ish, transitive verbal suffix, as in accomplish, diminish) from Anglo-French publier, poplier "to make generally known, announce publicly, reveal" (continental Old French puepleier), borrowed from Latin pūblicāre "to make public property, appropriate to the state, make generally known," derivative of pūblicus public entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing publish

• co-publish
• self-publish

Rhymes for publish

• republish

Kids Definition

publish

verb

pub·​lish ˈpəb-lish 

1

: to make generally known : make public announcement of

2

a

: to produce or release for publication

especially : print entry 2 sense 2c

b

: to print the work of

publish a poet

publishable

-ə-bəl 

adjective

Legal Definition

publish

transitive verb

pub·​lish

1

: to make known to another or to the public generally

Note: For purposes of defamation, a defamatory communication made to only one third party may be considered published.

2

a

: to proclaim officially

publish an enactment

b

: to declare (a will) to be a true and valid expression of one's last will

c

: to reproduce (an opinion) in a reporter

3

a

: to disseminate to the public or provide notice of to the public or to an individual (as through a mass medium)

ordered to publish the citation in the legal notices for three weeks

see also notice by publication at notice

b

: to distribute or offer for distribution to the public copies of (a copyrightable work) by some transfer of ownership, rental, lease, or loan

4

: utter

publisher noun