author

author — noun

1. the person who has written a particular book, article, play, or similar piece of

1.nounB1
Definition

the person who has written a particular book, article, play, or similar piece of text — for example, J.K. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter series.

Example

Nikolai met his favourite author at a small bookshop in Taipei.

favourite author of [name]

The author of this cookbook was once a chef in a French restaurant.

the author of + [book noun]

Common collocations
  • bestselling author
  • favourite author
  • children's book author
  • co-author
Synonyms
  • writer

    broader; covers anyone who writes, including journalists and scriptwriters

  • novelist

    narrower; only someone who writes novels

  • playwright

    narrower; only someone who writes plays

Antonyms
  • reader

    the audience side of the relationship

Grammar Patterns

author of [book / article / play]

Usage Note

Often followed by 'of' + the specific work. Distinguish from 'writer', which is broader and can include journalists, scriptwriters, and people who write but have not necessarily published a book.

Common Mistakes

She is the author for three novels.
She is the author of three novels.
use 'of', not 'for', to link an author to their work.

2. the person who first thought of something such as a plan, idea, policy, or movem

2.nounC1
Definition

the person who first thought of something such as a plan, idea, policy, or movement, and is therefore responsible for it existing.

Example

Senator Park is widely seen as the author of the new tax reform.

the author of + [plan / policy]

Wen is the author of our company's recycling programme.

Common collocations
  • author of the plan
  • author of the policy
  • author of one's own misfortune
Synonyms
  • originator

    neutral; emphasises being first

  • creator

    broader; can include physical objects, art, or systems

  • architect

    more vivid; suggests careful planning of something complex

Grammar Patterns

author of [plan / idea / movement]

Usage Note

Frequently used in journalism and formal writing, often with abstract objects (plan, policy, scheme, downfall). Distinguish from sense 1, which is restricted to people who write texts; this sense is about creating ideas or events, not pages.

Common Mistakes

He is the author of the cake recipe' (when meaning he simply baked it).
He invented the cake recipe.
'author' in this sense is for plans, ideas, or events, not everyday objects you simply make.

author — verb

Word family

  • authorship
    nounC1
  • co-author
    nounB2
  • co-author
    verbB2
  • authoress
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe someone who produces written work, but they differ in scope. 'Writer' is the broadest term and applies to anyone who writes for a living or as a hobby — journalists, bloggers, and screenwriters all count. 'Author' is slightly narrower and more formal: it usually means someone who has written a published book or other substantial text, and it is often paired with a specific work, as in 'the author of three novels'. 'Novelist' and 'playwright' are the most specific — a novelist writes only novels, and a playwright writes only plays. So a playwright is always a writer, and usually called an author too, but you would not normally call a daily journalist a novelist. Choose 'author' when you want to sound formal or to link the person to a particular work.

author ↗writer ↗novelist ↗playwright ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • author photo
  • author tour
  • author interview
  • co-author

Adverbs

  • jointly authored
  • originally authored

Phrases

  • the author of the book
  • a bestselling author
  • a children's book author

Prepositions

  • author of
  • authored by

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

English borrowed 'author' in the 14th century from Old French 'autor', which came from Latin 'auctor', meaning 'one who causes something to grow or begin'. The Latin noun was built on the verb 'augere', 'to increase', and originally described a person who started or supported any undertaking — not only writing. Over time, English narrowed the everyday meaning to focus on the writer of a book or text, while the older sense of 'one who originates something' survives in more formal use today.