author

1 of 2

noun

au·​thor ˈȯ-thər How to pronounce author (audio)
Synonyms of authornext
1
: the writer of a literary work (such as a book)
a famous author
2
a
: one that originates or creates something : source
software authors
film authors
the author of this crime
b
capitalized : god sense 1
authorial
ȯ-ˈthȯr-ē-əl How to pronounce author (audio)
adjective

author

2 of 2

verb

authored; authoring; authors

transitive verb

: to be the author of : write
a writer who has authored several bestsellers

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of author in a Sentence

Noun The author of the article didn't check his facts. I enjoyed the book, but I can't remember the name of the author. She is the author of a plan for reforming the school system. Verb authored a new biography of Thomas Jefferson
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
De Noire read it in full, and she was immediately taken by the author's nuanced perspective. —Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 24 Jan. 2025 Ideas By Paola Mendoza January 24, 2025 7:00 AM EST Mendoza is a film director, author and organizer. —Paola Mendoza, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
Indiana House Bill 1448, authored by Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, addresses issues with supplemental payments that were added into state law during the 2019 session. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025 According to a paper authored by the company, DeepSeek-R1 beats the industry’s leading models like OpenAI o1 on several math and reasoning benchmarks. —Zeyi Yang, WIRED, 25 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for author 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English autour, auctour, actour "originator, creator, authoritative source, writer," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French auctur, auttour, actour "originator, creator, instigator, party, authority, writer," borrowed from Latin auctōr-, auctor "principal in a sale, person entitled to take action or authorize, authoritative writer, originator, creator, agent, founder," from augēre "to increase" + -tor, agent suffix — more at eke entry 2

Note: Variants with medial -th-, as aucthour, authour, etc., become current in the sixteenth century and lead to spelling pronunciations with [θ] in the seventeenth century. The spellings are presumed to reflect association with authentic and its Latin and Greek sources, as author in the sense "the first beginner and mover of anything," as Samuel Johnson put it, is the ultimate guarantor of authenticity.

Verb

derivative of author entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

1597, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of author was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing author

Dictionary Entries Near author

authigenic

author

author's alteration

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Author.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/author. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

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Kids Definition

author

noun
au·​thor
ˈȯ-thər
1
: a person who creates a written work : writer
2
: one that starts or creates
author of a plan for education
author verb

More from Merriam-Webster on author

Nglish: Translation of author for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of author for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about author

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