published

1. 1
   brought outverb

   Simple past and past participle of publish.

   The journal published the findings after a lengthy peer review.

   His memoir was published shortly after his death.

   UsageCan stand with no object: a scholar who has published widely.

2. 2
   adjective

   Issued for sale or distribution to the general public.

   The newly published edition includes two extra chapters and an updated index.

   Only published works are eligible for the literary prize.

   UsageUsually before the noun: published works, a newly published edition.

   Similarprinted

   Oppositeunpublished, unreleased

3. 3
   with books outadjective

   Of an author or writer: having had a work issued to the public.

   As a published poet, she was invited to lead the evening workshop.

   Few of the graduate students were published authors yet.

   UsageUsually before the writer's trade: a published author, a published poet.

   Oppositeunpublished

   Note

   Here the word describes a person rather than a book, and it works as a credential: a published poet, a published author. It comes from the verb's use with an author as its object, as when a press publishes a new novelist. It also matches the intransitive sense in which writers publish, meaning their work appears in print. Source

   Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • The adjective describing an author derives from the past participle of 'publish' used transitively with an author as its object. en.wiktionary.org

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