English Reference
noun

publisher

n.
US /ˈpəbɫɪʃɝ/ UK /pˈʌblɪʃɐ/ pub·lish·er UK spelling publishers

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    a person or company that prepares and prints books, magazines, or music to sell them to the public.

    a person or company whose business is the production and distribution of books, periodicals, or other media.

    Simple

    The author was thrilled when a major publisher offered her a contract for her first novel.

    In context

    The academic publisher maintains a rigorous peer-review process to ensure the scientific integrity of the journals it distributes globally.

    presspublishing house
  2. 02 C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a part of a computer system that sends out updates or messages to other parts that are waiting for them.

    a component in a software architecture that broadcasts events or data to registered subscribers without needing to know which components are receiving them.

    Simple

    The publisher sends a message to all the apps that are listening for a price change.

    In context

    In this microservices architecture, the publisher pushes updates to a message broker, which then distributes the payload to all active subscribers.

    Usage

    Often used in the context of 'publish-subscribe' or 'pub/sub' patterns.

    Teacher's tip

    This is a core concept in modern event-driven programming; students in IT will encounter it frequently.

  3. 03 C2 Proficiency Technical Religion

    a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses who shares their religious beliefs with others.

    a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses who engages in the formal preaching work of the organisation.

    Simple

    He has been an active publisher in his local congregation for over ten years.

    In context

    The annual report tracks the total number of publishers involved in door-to-door ministry across different regions.

    Usage

    Specific to the terminology of Jehovah's Witnesses.

    Teacher's tip

    This is a highly specialised term; unless the student is reading about this specific group, they are unlikely to need it.

The Pochaina market, founded in 1997, was once one of Ukraine’s largest book markets, with hundreds of stalls and books from more than 120 publishers.

The Guardian· 20 Aug 2026

A punchy, pared-back 9+ horror from an award-winning author and dyslexia-friendly publisher.

The Guardian· 26 Jun 2026

From publish + -er.

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

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Common
Updated