public relations

noun

plural in form but usually singular in construction

often attributive

: 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

Farzam’s brother Jon, CEO of Shore Hotel, and the hotel’s public relations firm have not responded to CNN’s requests for comment. —Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025

The district will use reserve funds to keep operating its four Head Start sites at least through winter break, KCPS public relations coordinator Shain Bergan previously told The Star. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025

The viral success of Dubai chocolate is organic in the truest sense—driven not by advertising campaigns or public relations firms, but by genuine enthusiasm spreading person to person, video to video, tastebud to tastebud. —Bobby Ghosh, Time, 29 Oct. 2025

For Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, the news and arrests are a public relations nightmare. —Lz Granderson, Boston Herald, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for public relations

• abbreviations
• abominations
• accelerations
• accommodations
• accumulations
• adjudications
• administrations
• adulterations
• affiliations
• agglomerations
• alienations
• amalgamations

Kids Definition

public relations

noun

1

: the business of creating public goodwill for a person, firm, or institution

2

: the degree of understanding and goodwill achieved