Meaning & use
deputy editor
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person who ranks directly below the editor in a publication and takes charge when the editor is absent.
Grammar: Countable: she is the deputy editor of the paper.
Patterns
- the deputy editor of something
- deputy editor at something
The deputy editor approved the headline while the editor was on vacation.
After ten years as a reporter, she became deputy editor of the magazine.
The deputy editor will run the morning meeting.
Word forms
| plural | deputy editors |
|---|
Common combinations
- appoint a deputy editor
- The board will appoint a deputy editor next month.
- deputy editor of the newspaper
- He is deputy editor of the national newspaper.
- deputy editor in chief
- She was named deputy editor in chief of the weekly.
- become deputy editor
- He hopes to become deputy editor one day.
- former deputy editor
- The former deputy editor launched her own website.
Synonyms and how they differ
- assistant editor
- An assistant editor often ranks lower and may be responsible for one section, while a deputy editor is second-in-command overall.
- associate editor
- Associate editor is a senior title but does not necessarily mean being next in line.
- managing editor
- A managing editor runs daily operations and schedules, but a deputy editor stands in for the editor.
- second in command
- This is a general phrase for any second-ranking person, not a job title only for publishing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: deputy editor or sub-editor?
deputy editor vs sub-editor
A sub-editor (or copy editor) checks and corrects articles, while a deputy editor holds a senior management role.
Practice
Who normally takes charge of a newspaper when the editor is away?
Choose one answer.
A deputy editor is the second-in-command of the editorial team. The others do not have authority over the paper's contents.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deputy editor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.