authorship

noun

au·​thor·​ship ˈȯ-thər-ˌship 

1

: the profession of writing

2

: the source (such as the author) of a piece of writing, music, or art

3

: the state or act of writing, creating, or causing

Examples of authorship in a Sentence

His first attempt at authorship failed.

Recent Examples on the Web

For parents, this is a reminder that helping kids tell their own stories with a sense of choice and authorship, whether about a playground conflict or a family move, can plant seeds of resilience. —J. David Creswell, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2025

The types of fraud detected range from the creation of fictitious research, to plagiarism, to the buying and selling of authorship and citations in papers. —Fernanda González, Wired News, 11 Aug. 2025

This innovative tool not only helps improve creative productivity but also is transforming the way people generally conceive of authorship and creativity. —Cristian Randieri, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

But if people can’t intuitively tell the difference, perhaps there are other methods for determining human versus artificial authorship. Stylometry to the rescue? —Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 30 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

author entry 1 + -ship

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing authorship

• co-authorship

Rhymes for authorship

• battleship
• censorship
• chairmanship
• chieftainship
• comradeship
• consulship
• craftsmanship
• dealership
• draftsmanship
• fellowship
• fingertip
• internship

Kids Definition

authorship

noun

au·​thor·​ship ˈȯ-thər-ˌship 

1

: writing as an occupation

2

: the origin especially of a written work