noun mag·a·zine \ˈma-gə-ˌzēn, ˌma-gə-ˈ\

Definition of magazine

  1. 1 :  a place where goods or supplies are stored :  warehouse

  2. 2 :  a room in which powder and other explosives are kept in a fort or a ship

  3. 3 :  the contents of a magazine: such asa :  an accumulation of munitions (see munition 2) of warb :  a stock of provisions (see 1provision 2) or goods

  4. 4a :  a periodical containing miscellaneous pieces (as articles, stories, poems) and often illustrated <a fashion magazine> <a gardening magazine>; also :  such a periodical published onlineb :  a similar section of a newspaper usually appearing on Sundayc :  a radio or television program presenting usually several short segments on a variety of topics

  5. 5 :  a supply chamber: such asa :  a holder in or on a gun for cartridges (see cartridge 1) to be fed into the gun chamberb :  a lightproof chamber for films or plates on a camera or for film on a motion-picture projector

Examples of magazine in a sentence

  1. She subscribes to several gardening magazines.

  2. <the village kept a magazine where people left common supplies>

Origin and Etymology of magazine

Medieval French, from Old Occitan, from Arabic makhāzin, plural of makhzan storehouse

First Known Use: 1583

MAGAZINE Defined for English Language Learners



Definition of magazine for English Language Learners


  • : a radio or television program that discusses different topics

  • : a part of a gun that holds bullets

MAGAZINE Defined for Kids


noun mag·a·zine \ˈma-gə-ˌzēn\

Definition of magazine for Students

  1. 1 :  a publication issued at regular intervals (as weekly or monthly)

  2. 2 :  a storehouse or warehouse for military supplies

  3. 3 :  a container in a gun for holding cartridges

History for magazine

The English word magazine came from a French word with the same spelling that in turn came from an Arabic word makhāzin. Both the French and the Arabic words meant “a place where things are stored.” At first the English word had the same meaning, and it is still used in this sense. However, a later sense is now more common—that of a collection of written pieces printed at set times, the suggestion being that such collections are “storehouses of knowledge.”

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up magazine? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).


a side road used to avoid a toll

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