publish

verb

pub·​lish ˈpə-blish How to pronounce publish (audio)
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 adjective

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 He was not involved in the new CDC report but has published research on life expectancy trends. Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Liu Cixin’s Three Body-Problem, published in serial form in 2006 and as a stand-alone novel in 2008, defies the conventions of alien apocalypse fiction. Ian Malone, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024 The study by researchers from virtual mental health care provider Brightline and published in JAMA Network Open found that families with a child or adolescent with a mental health condition paid $4,361 more toward medical spending for the child, a 31.1% uptick from 2017. Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024 The report, which was published on Wednesday, was released to coincide with the U.N.’s International Day of Happiness which is celebrated on March 20 every year to promote happiness, well-being and a more compassionate world. Jon Haworth, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2024 That’s according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that suggests women who work out regularly have a lower risk of early death compared with men who do the same. Kaitlin Vogel, Health, 20 Mar. 2024 The book was co-released by Scholastic and the publishing company of former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 The director cites new distribution models such as the U.S. platform Substack, which allows writers and creators to publish their work and raise coin via subscriptions from passionate readers. Annika Pham, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024 Ireland’s constitution, published in 1937, was strongly influenced by Catholic social teachings, according to legal scholars. Lauren Kent, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'publish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, modification of Anglo-French publier, from Latin publicare, from publicus public

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of publish was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near publish

Cite this Entry

“Publish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/publish. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

publish

verb
pub·​lish ˈpəb-lish How to pronounce publish (audio)
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 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

More from Merriam-Webster on publish

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