publishing

noun

pub·​lish·​ing ˈpə-bli-shiŋ How to pronounce publishing (audio)
Synonyms of publishingnext
: the business or profession of the commercial production and issuance of literature, information, musical scores or sometimes recordings, or art
newspaper publishing
software publishing

Examples of publishing in a Sentence

He was hoping to get a job in publishing after college. Her sister works for a well-known publishing company.
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.
Sony’s music business did well in the latest quarter, with both digital streaming and publishing businesses recording healthy results. — ABC News, 31 July 2026 Case studies From the cases the team reviewed, IEEE learned valuable information to help update its publishing policies and best practices. — IEEE Spectrum, 30 July 2026 Many fans on social media are already sharing raffle wins, and a number of retailers’ drawings are still open for sign-ups as of publishing. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 29 July 2026 After parting with Warner, Rexha signed a deal with Empire, an independent distribution company, that also offers some label and publishing services. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for publishing

Word History

Etymology

Middle English publisching "act of announcing, public declaration, issuing of copies of a book," from gerund of publisshen "to make known, publish"

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Phrases Containing publishing

Browse Nearby Words

publisher's statement
publishing
publishment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Publishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/publishing. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All