readership

American  

[ree-der-ship] / ˈri dərˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the people who read or are thought to read a particular book, newspaper, magazine, etc..

   The periodical has a dwindling readership.

2. the duty, status, or profession of a reader.

3. (especially in British universities) the position of instructor or lecturer.

4. the state or quality of being a reader.

   appealing to a higher level of readership.

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readership British  

/ ˈriːdəʃɪp /

noun

1. all the readers collectively of a particular publication or author

   a readership of five million

   Dickens's readership

2. the office, position, or rank of university reader

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Etymology

Origin of readership

First recorded in 1710–20; reader + -ship

Example Sentences

He arrived vowing to carry out a digital transformation, stem financial losses and reverse a decline in online readership.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

“Now it is just time for the audience — the readership — to really put its money where its mouth is,” Williams said.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025

And the broader readership of the New York Times is not even in agreement with Ezra Klein on this one.

From Slate • Sep. 16, 2025

Coming from a proud romance writer the majority of whose readership is women, Henry’s work rejects this entirely.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2025

As children of their own societies, these early historians naturally emphasized the culture they knew best, the culture their readership most wanted to hear about.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann