The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Publish \Pub"lish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Published; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Publishing.] [F. publier, L. publicare, publicatum.
   See Public, and -ish.]
   1. To make public; to make known to mankind, or to people in
      general; to divulge, as a private transaction; to
      promulgate or proclaim, as a law or an edict.
      [1913 Webster]

            Published was the bounty of her name. --Chaucer.
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            The unwearied sun, from day to day,
            Does his Creator's power display,
            And publishes to every land
            The work of an almighty hand.         --Addison.
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   2. To make known by posting, or by reading in a church; as,
      to publish banns of marriage.
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   3. To send forth, as a book, newspaper, musical piece, or
      other printed work, either for sale or for general
      distribution; to print, and issue from the press.
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   4. To utter, or put into circulation; as, to publish
      counterfeit paper. [U.S.]
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   To publish a will (Law), to acknowledge it before the
      witnesses as the testator's last will and testament.
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   Syn: To announce; proclaim; advertise; declare; promulgate;
        disclose; divulge; reveal. See Announce.
        [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

publishing
    n 1: the business of issuing printed matter for sale or
         distribution [syn: publication, publishing]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

93 Moby Thesaurus words for "publishing":
   AP, Associated Press, Fleet Street, Reuters, UPI,
   United Press International, airing, albertype, bandying, book,
   book printing, book publishing, broadcast, broadcasting, bruiting,
   bruiting about, chromotypography, chromotypy, chromoxylography,
   circulation, collotype, color printing, communications,
   communications industry, diffusion, display, dissemination,
   electronography, electrostatic printing, evulgation, fourth estate,
   graphic arts, gravure, halftone engraving, history of printing,
   issuance, issue, job printing, journalism, letterpress,
   letterpress photoengraving, line engraving, lithography,
   lithogravure, lithophotogravure, magazine publishing, mimeograph,
   offset, offset lithography, onset, palaeotypography, periodical,
   photo-offset, photochemical process, photoengraving,
   photogelatin process, photographic reproduction, photography,
   photolithography, phototypography, phototypy, photozincography,
   planographic printing, planography, print medium, printing,
   printmaking, promulgation, propagation, public press, public print,
   publication, publishing industry, relief printing,
   rotary photogravure, rotogravure, sheetwork, spread, spreading,
   spreading abroad, stencil, telecasting, the press,
   three-color printing, two-color printing, typography,
   typolithography, ventilation, wood-block printing, xerography,
   xeroprinting, xylotypography, zincography