Meaning & use
publish
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To prepare and make a book, article, or other material available for people to read or buy.
Grammar: Takes an object: publish a book.
Patterns
- publish something
- publish something in a newspaper
- publish something on a website
The company will publish her novel next spring.
They published the results of the study in a medical journal.
He published his first article when he was still a student.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To post content online for others to see, especially on a website or social media.
Grammar: Can be used with an object (publish a post) or without (the post published automatically).
Patterns
- publish something online
- publish on social media
- publish a post
She published a photo of her garden on Instagram.
The blog publishes new articles every Monday.
You can schedule the video to publish at midnight.
verbtransitive
To announce something officially or make it known to the public.
Grammar: Often used for official reports, findings, or decisions.
Patterns
- publish a report
- publish findings
- publish the results
The government published new safety guidelines yesterday.
The committee will publish its findings next month.
The school published a list of students who passed the exam.
verbintransitive
To have one's work accepted and printed or posted by a publisher.
Grammar: No object; often used about writers.
Patterns
- publish regularly
- publish in a journal
- publish with a publisher
She publishes regularly in science magazines.
He has published with several small presses.
It took years before he published his first book.
Word forms
| third person singular | publishes |
|---|---|
| past tense | published |
| past participle | published |
| -ing form | publishing |
Common combinations
- publish a book
- The author hopes to publish a book about her travels.
- publish an article
- The newspaper published an article about the new law.
- publish online
- Many small magazines now publish online only.
- publish a report
- The agency will publish a report on climate change.
- publish regularly
- To build an audience, you need to publish regularly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Focuses on the physical process of producing text on paper; publish is broader and includes digital and official announcements.
- release
- Often used for music, films, or official statements; publish is more common for written works and online content.
- issue
- Used for official statements, warnings, or documents; publish is more general for making content available.
Opposites
Word family
- publication noun
- A book, magazine, or article that has been published; also the act of publishing.
- publisher noun
- A person or company that produces and sells books, magazines, or newspapers.
- publishing noun
- The business or activity of producing books and other materials.
- unpublished adjective
- Not yet made available to the public in print or online.
Commonly confused: publish or publicize?
publish vs publicize
Means to make something widely known through advertising or publicity; publish means to produce and make available a work or information.
Practice
The university will ______ the research findings in a scientific journal next month.
Choose one answer.
Publish is the correct word for making research findings available in a journal. Publicize means to advertise or draw attention to something, not to formally release it in a journal. Print focuses on the physical act, and issue is used for official statements or documents, not typically for research findings in a journal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “publish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.