English Reference
noun

journalist

n.
US /ˈdʒɝnəɫəst/ UK /dʒˈɜːnəlˌɪst/ jour·nal·ist UK spelling journalist's, journalist's

  1. 01 A2 Elementary

    a person who writes news stories or reports for newspapers, websites, or television.

    a professional who collects, writes, and edits news stories for publication or broadcast.

    Simple

    The journalist interviewed the mayor for a story in the local newspaper.

    In context

    The investigative journalist spent several months uncovering the financial scandal before publishing the findings in a national broadsheet.

    Usage

    The noun is countable and often used with the preposition 'for' to indicate the employer.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency Literary

    someone who keeps a personal journal or diary of their daily life.

    an individual who maintains a regular personal journal or diary.

    Simple

    In the old novel, the main character was a dedicated journalist who wrote in her diary every night.

    In context

    The historian examined the private papers of the Victorian journalist, whose daily entries provided a vivid account of domestic life in London.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is rare in modern English; 'diarist' is the preferred term for someone who writes a personal journal.

    diarist

Usage journalists covering · journalist based


From journal + -ist.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Common
Updated