publisher

noun

pub·​lish·​er ˈpə-bli-shər How to pronounce publisher (audio)
: one that publishes something
especially : a person or corporation whose business is publishing

Examples of publisher in a Sentence

He submitted the manuscript to publishers of children's books.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sadly, the current publishing framework cannot be changed from within, as the demand for games is so high, and that affords a great deal of leverage to executives at publishers. — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 Franklin was himself a newspaper publisher and established America’s first lending library. — Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 However, such deals only benefit creators who have a more powerful intermediary, such as a publisher or record label, to negotiate and license their copyright on their behalf. — Zoey Forbes, The Dial, 7 July 2026 Online retailers, travel companies, and publishers, which spent decades wrangling with Google over how to get paid for their websites, now face the same challenge as LLMs scrape their content. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for publisher

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "person who makes something generally known," from publisshen "to make known, publish" + -er -er entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of publisher was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing publisher

Browse Nearby Words

published
publisher
publisher's binding
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Publisher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/publisher. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

publisher

noun
pub·​lish·​er ˈpəb-lish-ər How to pronounce publisher (audio)
: one that publishes
especially : one that sends out and offers for sale printed matter (as books, magazines, or newspapers)

More from Merriam-Webster on publisher

Nglish: Translation of publisher for Spanish Speakers

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