public relations

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

|Updated on: 24 Jul 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

As a result, Wesley Williams has created a community of women of color who are shattering glass ceilings and aspiring to make their presence the norm in public relations, marketing, and other communications fields.

— NBC News, "Be proactive and step out of your comfort zone:," 13 July 2018
The best outcome from this meeting that will undermine liberal democracies and encourage strongmen the world over would be maintenance of the status quo and a public relations coup for Putin.

— nina jankowicz, The New Republic, "Available in Helsinki: the Fate of Eastern Europe," 13 July 2018
UW-Madison will get a statewide visibility and public relations bump through a UW System restructuring that became official earlier this month.

— karen herzog, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Retro UW-Madison delivery van hits road with myth-busting facts, Babcock ice cream," 13 July 2018
The decision to expand was due in part to customer demand for on-site dining, and the availability of space immediately next door helped make the plans a reality, according to Meggie Lindberg, marketing and public relations manager for the company.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Lou Malnati's in Tinley Park expanding," 13 July 2018
The May conference call during which Schnatter used the highly offensive racial slur was a call to discuss future public relations problems for the company.

— katherine fitzgerald, azcentral, "Diamondbacks to continue promotion with Papa John's, emphasizing ties to local owners," 13 July 2018
With that in mind, a player and his agent should have plans in place to deal with the possibility of an unexpected public relations crisis prior to the draft.

— michael mccann, SI.com, "Could Gareon Conley Legally Prove That Rape Allegation Caused Draft Slide, Financial Harm?," 12 July 2018
Netflix said Jonathan Friedland used the word in a meeting of public relations staff about sensitive words.

— candice choi, chicagotribune.com, "Papa John is gone, but his image is still entwined with pizza chain," 12 July 2018
Locations and dates for the six restaurants holding local interviews are listed below, as written by the company's public relations team.

— daniel wilson, sacbee, "Panda Express to hire thousands: Here’s when and where Sacramentans can apply," 11 July 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

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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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