author

1 of 2

noun

au·​thor ˈȯ-thər 

1

: the writer of a literary work (such as a book)

a famous author

2

a

: one that originates or creates something : source

software authors

film authors

the author of this crime

b

Author : god sense 1

authorial

ȯ-ˈthȯr-ē-əl 

adjective

author

2 of 2

verb

authored; authoring; authors

transitive verb

: to be the author of : write

a writer who has authored several bestsellers

Synonyms of author

Noun

• writer

Verb

• write
• pen

Examples of author in a Sentence

Noun

The author of the article didn't check his facts.

I enjoyed the book, but I can't remember the name of the author.

She is the author of a plan for reforming the school system.

Verb

authored a new biography of Thomas Jefferson

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The pivoting of the event, Mogren said, takes inspiration from the poem that poet and author Amanda Gorman wrote on January 8 to honor Good. —Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026

This column has a companion, The AI/XR Podcast, hosted by its author, Charlie Fink, and Ted Schilowitz, former studio executive and futurist for Paramount and Fox, and Rony Abovitz, founder of Magic Leap. —Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Verb

Here’s a resource from Anthropic, again, not specifically authored, that goes into detail on how this works, using examples like the San Francisco Bay Bridge and revealing token relationships and resulting neural attention patterns. —John Werner, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026

Head coach Mike Vrabel’s team is balanced, explosive and led by quarterback Drake Maye, a 2024 NFL Draft classmate of Nix’s who authored an MVP-contending season. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English autour, auctour, actour "originator, creator, authoritative source, writer," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French auctur, auttour, actour "originator, creator, instigator, party, authority, writer," borrowed from Latin auctōr-, auctor "principal in a sale, person entitled to take action or authorize, authoritative writer, originator, creator, agent, founder," from augēre "to increase" + -tor, agent suffix — more at eke entry 2

Note: Variants with medial -th-, as aucthour, authour, etc., become current in the sixteenth century and lead to spelling pronunciations with [θ] in the seventeenth century. The spellings are presumed to reflect association with authentic and its Latin and Greek sources, as author in the sense "the first beginner and mover of anything," as Samuel Johnson put it, is the ultimate guarantor of authenticity.

Verb

derivative of author entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

1597, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing author

• co-author

Rhymes for author

• coauthor

Kids Definition

author

noun

au·​thor

ˈȯ-thər

1

: a person who creates a written work : writer

2

: one that starts or creates

author of a plan for education

author verb