public relations

noun, plural in form but usually singular in construction, often attributive

Definition of public relations

: the business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution also : the degree of understanding and goodwill achieved

Examples of public relations in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its revenue and marketshare had both jumped substantially in the wake of Uber’s repeated public relations disasters, which culminated in the departure of the ride-hailing giant’s founder and CEO Travis Kalanick. — Faiz Siddiqui, The Seattle Times, "As it gets set for IPO, Lyft outlines all the reasons ride-sharing could fail," 25 Mar. 2019 Blue-state liberals, especially those thinking about 2020 presidential runs, will want to use every procedural and public relations tool at their disposal to delay the vote, even if the charges against Kavanaugh don’t grow in credence. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "Will a justice delayed be a justice denied?," 19 Sep. 2018 First came Timothée Chalamet at the Golden Globes, flanking his mother (who was dressed in Off-White) in a black sequin Vuitton harness that the brand’s public relations team later insisted should be called a bib. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "Travis Scott Takes the Man Harness Into the Polar Vortex," 31 Jan. 2019 To help their bet, fund managers and analysts have made regular visits to Treasury and Congress, kept investment staffers in Washington and hired specialist public relations firms. — Andrew Ackerman, WSJ, "Popular Hedge Fund Bet on Fannie and Freddie Is Paying Off Big This Year," 26 Jan. 2019 Yakhina moved to Moscow to work in public relations, but her grandmother’s story was always on her mind. — Maria Danilova, The Seattle Times, "Russian novel tells story of survival, love in Stalin’s camp," 14 Jan. 2019 Twelve years ago, Caitlin and Samuel Dowe-Sandes headed to Marrakech from Los Angeles with the plan to take a year off from their careers in public relations and filmmaking, respectively, and indulge in an adventurous sabbatical. — Gisela Williams, ELLE Decor, "The Vivacious 18th-Century Marakesh Medina of Two L.A. Transplants," 28 Dec. 2018 In the spring, Facebook was rocked by the biggest public relations crisis in its history — the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: Facebook," 26 Dec. 2018 Another is a candid Polaroid of Bessette-Kennedy at her former job as a public relations executive at Calvin Klein in a polo shirt and skirt. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "For Rare Images of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Follow This Tribute Instagram," 26 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'public relations.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near public relations

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public prosecutor

public relations

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Last Updated

3 Apr 2019

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The first known use of public relations was in 1898

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More Definitions for public relations

public relations

noun

English Language Learners Definition of public relations

: the activity or job of providing information about a particular person or organization to the public so that people will regard that person or organization in a favorable way

: the relationship between an organization and the public

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