attribution
noun
at·tri·bu·tion
ˌa-trə-ˈbyü-shən 
plural attributions
1
: the act of attributing something
especially
: the ascribing of a work (as of literature or art) to a particular author or artist
2
: an ascribed quality, character, or right
Supernatural powers were attributions of the gods.
3
psychology
: the interpretive process by which people make judgments about the causes of their own behavior and the behavior of others
Psychologists have long documented what they call the fundamental attribution error, the tendency for people to explain human behavior in terms of the traits of individual actors, even when powerful situational forces are at work.—
Erica Goode
Erica GoodeExamples of attribution in a Sentence
a genuine respect for one another is one of the most commonly cited attributions of a happily married couple
Recent Examples on the Web
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect appropriate attribution.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Moscow has denied involvement, and security analysts caution that attribution is complicated.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
OpenAI likely isn’t getting financial credit for its role in that transaction, because the old ways of tracking purchase credit through cookies and last-click attribution largely don’t work in this new world.
—Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
With uncertainty about third-party tracking and walled gardens controlling data access, traditional attribution is losing accuracy and reliability.
—Bernard May, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attribution
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Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Moscow has denied involvement, and security analysts caution that attribution is complicated.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
OpenAI likely isn’t getting financial credit for its role in that transaction, because the old ways of tracking purchase credit through cookies and last-click attribution largely don’t work in this new world.
—Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
With uncertainty about third-party tracking and walled gardens controlling data access, traditional attribution is losing accuracy and reliability.
—Bernard May, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for attribution
Cite this Entry
“Attribution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attribution. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
attribution
noun
at·tri·bu·tion
ˌa-trə-ˈbyü-shən
: a rule in tax law that in certain cases deems property owned by one person or business entity to be owned by another or others
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