coauthor

noun

co·​au·​thor (ˌ)kō-ˈȯ-thər How to pronounce coauthor (audio)
variants or co-author
plural coauthors or co-authors
Synonyms of coauthornext
: one who collaborates with another person in authoring a literary or dramatic work, a document, a legislative bill, etc.
coauthors of many books and plays
the coauthors of new legislation
coauthor transitive verb
or co-author
coauthored or co-authored; coauthoring or co-authoring
… he coauthored legislation … requiring the publication on the Internet of the cost of all federal contracts, grants, and congressional "earmarks,"… —Michael Tomasky
a co-authored book
coauthorship
(ˌ)kō-ˈȯ-thər-ˌship How to pronounce coauthor (audio)
noun
or co-authorship
… accepting coauthorship on studies to which they did not significantly contribute. —Mary Murray

Examples of coauthor in a Sentence

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.
The feat, says study coauthor and NSO senior scientist Friedrich Wöger, is equivalent to seeing ants crawling on Earth’s surface from an altitude of 100 miles (about 160 km). — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2026 Staci Hill is the co-founder of Gooseberry Bridge Farm and the coauthor of The Preserver’s Garden. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 1 Aug. 2026 The new work also listed two coauthors not part of the original document. — IEEE Spectrum, 30 July 2026 The ongoing research sheds light on a problem that isn’t classified as a disorder but possibly should be, said Silke Müller, a postdoctoral research assistant at the University of Duisburg-Essen and coauthor of the study. — Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for coauthor

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coauthor was in 1827

Rhymes for coauthor

See All Rhymes for coauthor

Browse Nearby Words

coat-tree
coauthor
coax
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coauthor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coauthor. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

coauthor

noun
co·​au·​thor
(ˈ)kō-ˈȯ-thər
: an author who works with another author

More from Merriam-Webster on coauthor

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for coauthor

Nglish: Translation of coauthor for Spanish Speakers

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