copy editor

noun

variants or less commonly copyeditor
1
: an editor who prepares copy for the typesetter
2
: one who edits and headlines newspaper copy
copyedit transitive verb
or copy edit

Examples of copy editor in a Sentence

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.
Brenda Looper joined the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as a news clerk in April 1997, and worked as a feature writer, reviewer and copy editor on the news side before moving to the opinion section in July 2011. Brenda Looper, arkansasonline.com, 17 Mar. 2025 The friction between the journal’s editorial board and Elsevier began in 2019, when the publisher eliminated a dedicated copy editor position serving the journal. Bymichael Price, science.org, 9 Jan. 2025 What’s [hard to believe] is a BOLD-FACED LIE (a correct usage, despite being disliked by some copy editors and making me wince a little). Sam Corbin, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025 These included eliminating support for a copy editor and a special issues editor, leaving it to the editorial board to handle those duties. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for copy editor

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of copy editor was in 1899

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Copy editor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/copy%20editor. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

copy editor

noun
1
: an employee of a publishing house who corrects manuscript copy
2
: a person who edits and writes headlines for newspaper copy
copyedit verb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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