product consisting of a paperback periodic publication as a physical object
"tripped over a pile of magazines"
a storehouse (as a compartment on a warship) where weapons and ammunition are stored
"The captain ordered all hands to abandon ship immediately after an explosion rocked the magazine near the stern."
a metal frame or container holding cartridges; can be inserted into an automatic gun
"The mechanic loaded fresh magazines into the rifle before heading out to the range."
A non-academic periodical publication, generally consisting of sheets of paper folded in half and stapled at the fold.
"I picked up a glossy magazine from the newsstand to flip through the fashion spreads while waiting for my train."
In plain English: A magazine is a book made of many thin pages that you flip through to read articles and pictures on different topics.
"I bought a new issue of the magazine to read on my lunch break."
Usage: Use "magazine" to refer to a glossy periodical filled with short articles on popular topics like fashion or sports, rather than serious academic research. Do not confuse this meaning with the verb form related to storing ammunition or the historical definition of a magazine as a storehouse for gunpowder.
The word magazine entered English in the 1580s via Middle French and Italian as a term for a warehouse or storehouse. Its ultimate origin is Arabic, where it referred to a storeroom used for storing goods.