publish

verb

pub·​lish ˈpə-blish 

published; publishing; publishes

transitive verb

1

a

: to make generally known

b

: to make public announcement of

2

a

: to disseminate to the public

b

: to produce or release for distribution

specifically : print sense 2c

c

: to issue the work of (an author)

intransitive verb

1

: to put out an edition

2

: to have one's work accepted for publication

publishable

ˈpə-bli-shə-bəl 

adjective

Synonyms of publish

• print
• issue
• reprint

Examples of publish in a Sentence

It's a small company that only publishes about four books a year.

The university press publishes academic titles.

The newspaper is published daily.

There is a lot of pressure for professors to publish regularly.

He has not published anything for a long time.

The magazine published two of my stories.

Recent Examples on the Web

Guidelines had barred most outlets from Pentagon The Pentagon had first issued guidance in September that said reporters could lose their press access by attempting to obtain or publish information not authorized for public release. —Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026

The study is published in the journal Physical Review Letters. —Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 21 Mar. 2026

The former star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, who was set to star in the new season of ABC’s The Bachelorette until TMZ published a video showcasing an instance of domestic assault involving Taylor, has now publicly addressed ABC’s decision to pull the season off the air. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 20 Mar. 2026

Photographs captured by Steve McQueen as part of his popular ‘Bounty’ exhibition series have been collated and adapted into a new book collection to be published this month by MACK. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English publisshen "to make publicly known, proclaim, divulge (the contents of something written), present (something written, a book) to the public," borrowed (with extension by -ish, transitive verbal suffix, as in accomplish, diminish) from Anglo-French publier, poplier "to make generally known, announce publicly, reveal" (continental Old French puepleier), borrowed from Latin pūblicāre "to make public property, appropriate to the state, make generally known," derivative of pūblicus public entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing publish

• co-publish
• self-publish

Rhymes for publish

• republish

Kids Definition

publish

verb

pub·​lish ˈpəb-lish 

1

: to make generally known : make public announcement of

2

a

: to produce or release for publication

especially : print entry 2 sense 2c

b

: to print the work of

publish a poet

publishable

-ə-bəl 

adjective

Legal Definition

publish

transitive verb

pub·​lish

1

: to make known to another or to the public generally

Note: For purposes of defamation, a defamatory communication made to only one third party may be considered published.

2

a

: to proclaim officially

publish an enactment

b

: to declare (a will) to be a true and valid expression of one's last will

c

: to reproduce (an opinion) in a reporter

3

a

: to disseminate to the public or provide notice of to the public or to an individual (as through a mass medium)

ordered to publish the citation in the legal notices for three weeks

see also notice by publication at notice

b

: to distribute or offer for distribution to the public copies of (a copyrightable work) by some transfer of ownership, rental, lease, or loan

4

: utter

publisher noun