authorship

noun

au·​thor·​ship ˈȯ-thər-ˌship How to pronounce authorship (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That initial 1982 feature, in all its Day-Glo eight-bit glory, was about a battle over authorship — the triumph of a visionary coder over the less talented C-suite member who stole his work. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025 Tools like IntelliCode suggest code completions in context, while CodeLens gives quick insight into authorship, changes, and testing history. PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025 Volvo, however, wanted the cachet associated with an Italian automotive design studio, and kept the model’s Swedish authorship in the background. Robert Ross, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2025 Through this first series, the collective defined its approach to radical openness and the geography of liminalities using the line as a means of questioning the protocols of authorship, space, and time. Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for authorship

Word History

Etymology

author entry 1 + -ship

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of authorship was in 1710

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Authorship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/authorship. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

authorship

noun
au·​thor·​ship ˈȯ-thər-ˌship How to pronounce authorship (audio)
1
: writing as an occupation
2
: the origin especially of a written work

More from Merriam-Webster on authorship

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