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

By the late 1960s, a magazine programme for South Asian viewers, 'Nai Zindagi Naya Jeevan', had become a weekend fixture.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

He was the subject of fear, admiration, contempt, envy and lengthy newspaper and magazine treatments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Initially, the family leased their ranch abode—telling People magazine shortly after they moved to Texas that they had wanted to test out the area for a year before committing to buying a property there.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

One day, she came to my mother’s house with the latest Verve, the prestigious French art magazine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

This chess magazine contained theoretical articles and reports on the latest games from around the world, mostly games involving players from the Soviet Union.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

ALTER: When magazines show bathrooms of the future, they are usually just bathrooms of the present, with more gizmos and connectivity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Rock music magazines like Spin, NME, Alternative Press and Kerrang! were thriving.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Someone asked me in a comment if he had just printed the magazines, and someone would come and grab them from that house, and I was just like, “You have completely wrong information.”

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Still a problem was the camera’s smaller-than-usual three-minute film magazine, which meant changing magazines in the middle of intense dramatic scenes, a situation Nolan had to plan for.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

There, beside the glowing yellow night-light of his radio dial, chessboard at his side, chess books and magazines spread around the room, he’d let his thoughts drift.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

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