copy editor

noun

variants or less commonly copyeditor

ˈkä-pē-ˌe-də-tər 

1

: an editor who prepares copy for the typesetter

2

: one who edits and headlines newspaper copy

copyedit

ˈkä-pē-ˌe-dət 

transitive verb

or copy edit

Examples of copy editor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The ride began in 1973 with an idea from Des Moines Register Washington columnist Donald Kaul and copy editor and features writer John Karras. —Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register, 1 Apr. 2026

Since 1999, Nicole has been a designer, copy editor, family columnist, and covered style, home design, gardening and other news-you-can-use topics. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 30 Mar. 2026

Working out of Austin, the Northwestern University alum joined the Chronicle in 2023 and has more than 25 years of experience covering Texas news and weather as a breaking news editor, multimedia producer, graphic artist, copy editor and reporter. —Roberto Villalpando, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Mar. 2026

The purist in question was Margaret Mutch, a longtime copy editor and proofreader. —Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for copy editor

• coeditor
• creditor
• predator

Kids Definition

copy editor

noun

1

: an employee of a publishing house who corrects manuscript copy

2

: a person who edits and writes headlines for newspaper copy

copyedit

ˈkäp-ē-ˌed-ət 

verb