public relations

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

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

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

Recent Examples of public relations from the Web

In a telephone interview, Cruz said the three men would not allow the meeting to become a public relations coup for the Vatican.

— Fox News, "APNewsBreak: Chile victims meet pope April 28-29 at Vatican," 13 Apr. 2018
This includes the public relations firm Grayling Communications, which used the interface to create three Facebook apps for Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., the hotel group, according to the Apply Magic Sauce website.

— Fortune, "Mark Zuckerberg Picks a Fight With England's Elite Cambridge University," 13 Apr. 2018
Despite the public relations disaster confronting Facebook, the company’s advertising business appears to be doing just fine.

— NBC News, "Facebook's scandals aren't hurting its bottom line," 12 Apr. 2018
In 3Girls Theatre Company’s darkly comic, fast-paced whodunit, visionary CEO Andrea Powell has just one day to save her company and herself from a public relations disaster that promises to destroy them both.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Theater capsule reviews and listings, week of April 15," 12 Apr. 2018
Ron Fournier, the publisher and editor of Crain’s Detroit Business, has been named president of the public relations firm Truscott Rossman, the agency announced Wednesday.

— cindy burton, Detroit Free Press, "Ron Fournier to leave Crain's Detroit Business to join PR firm Truscott Rossman," 11 Apr. 2018
The circuit attorney’s office shot back that the governor’s defense attorneys are filing frivolous motions — and using a public relations firm that shares court filings to select media — to play political games.

— lindsay wise, kansascity, "Greitens’ lawyers challenge credibility of woman allegedly photographed while nude | The Kansas City Star," 9 Apr. 2018
Before taking the job at the Post, Parish was a principal at the public relations firm Callas & Foster and had supplied Mesinger with juicy tidbits for her column.

— clifford pugh, Houston Chronicle, "Remembering Betsy Parish, one of Houston’s favorite social scribes," 6 Apr. 2018
That’s the price for a 12-day space vacation, according to the company’s public relations firm.

— matthew martinez, star-telegram, "Space vacations are going for $9.5 million at the first luxury hotel in the stars | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 6 Apr. 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.

First Known Use of public relations

1898

See Words from the same year

in the meaning defined above

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PUBLIC RELATIONS Defined for English Language Learners

public relations

noun

Definition of public relations for English Language Learners

: 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