public relations

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc.
2. (used with a singular verb) the art, technique, or profession of promoting such goodwill.

public relations

noun

1. 1. the practice of creating, promoting, or maintaining goodwill and a favourable image among the public towards an institution, public body, etc
   2. the methods and techniques employed
   3. ( as modifier )

      the public relations industry

2. the condition of the relationship between an organization and the public
3. the professional staff employed to create, promote, or maintain a favourable relationship between an organization and the public

Word History and Origins

Origin of public relations¹

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

A former sportswriter who covered the Washington NFL team for the now-defunct Washington Star and the Washington Times, Hurney spent a year in the team’s public relations department before following general manager Bobby Beathard to San Diego.

From Washington Post

A public relations staffer asked Young if he wanted to speak to the media.

From Washington Post

As Stimson began logging in another coastal watershed, which supplies drinking water to the nearby town of Oceanside, the company tried to mitigate the public relations damage from a citizen group that Webster formed.

From ProPublica

Boston Dynamics’ primary output from a public relations perspective was viral videos of impressive but imposing quadrupedal robots built with the aid of defense department contracts.

From TechCrunch

Jim Olson is a public relations professor of practice at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications and a former corporate communications executive at United Airlines, Starbucks, and US Airways.

From Fortune

It sounds like from the PR [public relations] perspective they are sticking to their guns.

From The Daily Beast

But all these groups are reaching a point where vengeance takes priority over politics or, much less, public relations.

From The Daily Beast

This might be why Cosby is keeping mum on the accusations, despite the obvious public relations disaster.

From The Daily Beast

When people accused of something make smart legal decisions, they are often also making very unwise public relations decisions.

From The Daily Beast

Bowie was born David Jones to a waitress mother and public relations father in Brixton, England, in 1947.

From The Daily Beast

"I suppose public relations are important—" Hausman began to say, and Garces nodded quickly.

From Project Gutenberg

Is there such a thing as morality carried into public relations?

From Project Gutenberg

It amounts to a public-relations job, a production, with me merely censoring aspects that might be bad for Dabney's psyche.

From Project Gutenberg

"Nothing's impossible to public relations if you spend enough money," Cochrane assured him.

From Project Gutenberg

But of course, if a man wanted only to be famous, it might be handled as a straight public-relations job.

From Project Gutenberg