magazine

American  

[mag-uh-zeen, mag-uh-zeen] / ˌmæg əˈzin, ˈmæg əˌzin /

noun

• magazines
  plural

1. a publication that is issued periodically, usually bound in a paper cover, and typically contains essays, stories, poems, etc., by many writers, and often photographs and drawings, frequently specializing in a particular subject or area, as hobbies, news, or sports.

2. a room or place for keeping gunpowder and other explosives, as in a fort or on a warship.

3. a building or place for keeping military stores, as arms, ammunition, or provisions.

4. a metal receptacle for a number of cartridges, inserted into certain types of automatic weapons and when empty removed and replaced by a full receptacle in order to continue firing.

5. Also called magazine show.  Radio and Television.

   1. Also called newsmagazine.  a regularly scheduled news program consisting of several short segments in which various subjects of current interest are examined, usually in greater detail than on a regular newscast.

   2. a program with a varied format that combines interviews, commentary, entertainment, etc.

6. magazine section.

7. Photography. cartridge.

8. a supply chamber, as in a stove.

9. a storehouse; warehouse.

10. a collection of war munitions.

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magazine British  

/ ˌmæɡəˈziːn /

noun

1. a periodical paperback publication containing articles, fiction, photographs, etc

2. a metal box or drum holding several cartridges used in some kinds of automatic firearms; it is removed and replaced when empty

3. a building or compartment for storing weapons, explosives, military provisions, etc

4. a stock of ammunition

5. a device for continuously recharging a handling system, stove, or boiler with solid fuel

6. photog another name for cartridge

7. a rack for automatically feeding a number of slides through a projector

8. a TV or radio programme made up of a series of short nonfiction items

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• magazinish
  adjective
• magaziny
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• magazines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of magazine

First recorded in 1575–85; from French magasin, from Italian magazzino “warehouse, depot” from Arabic makhāzin, plural of makhzan “storehouse”; in English figuratively, as “storehouse of information,” used in book titles (from c1640) and periodical titles (in The Gentleman's Magazine, 1731)

Explanation

A magazine is a printed publication that comes out regularly and includes photographs and articles. Before cell phones became popular, people used to read magazines in doctors' waiting rooms. Magazines were once only printed on paper, but today there are also online magazines. These electronic versions are similar to traditional magazines in that they publish periodically and include stories, illustrations or photos, and usually advertisements. The original definition of magazine was a space for ammunition storage, either in a building or ship, or attached to a weapon. The very first printed magazine was called "Gentleman's Magazine," from the idea that it was a "storehouse" of knowledge.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

magazine magazines

That July, a shipment that included Human Rights, the Emancipator, and a children’s magazine called the Slave’s Friend arrived in Charleston, South Carolina.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

Together with the Performance Art Museum, six artists staged their covers in honor of the magazine, which ran from 1978 to 1997.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

“In my case, and in the case of some other women, it takes a lot of years even to question your conditioning,” she told Mother Jones magazine in a 1995 interview.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

Some conservatives reviled the magazine, and some radical feminists criticized it as not bold enough.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Even with my observational data and the magazine article, would my parents believe me?

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

It was the first all-female founded and operated periodical, designed to be an alternative to other women's magazines that typically focused on housekeeping and fashion.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Big Issue vendors are struggling to sell magazines in the UK's extreme heat, which is having an "immediate" impact on their earnings, Big Issue's managing director says.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Until then, besides magazines, you couldn’t just go on the internet and see what was happening over in the U.K. or even in New York.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The American experiment in liberty fascinates Jimmy, and his papers and magazines reflected that.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

A punchy musk, stronger than the perfume in the magazines.

From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• booklet
• brochure
• daily
• journal
• manual
• newsletter
• newspaper
• pamphlet
• paper
• periodical
• weekly