(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a person who writes books, stories, or articles as a job.
Turner is a ~ and critic.
...detective stories by American ~s.
...novelist and travel ~ Paul Theroux.
N-COUNT: oft supp N
2.
The ~ of a particular article, report, letter, or story is the person who wrote it.
No-one is to see the document without the permission of the ~ of the report...
N-COUNT: usu with supp