A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles on various subjects.

Magazines are typically published weekly, biweekly, monthly, or quarterly, with a date on the cover that is in advance of the date it is actually published. They are often printed in color on coated paper.

Magazines usually have articles on popular topics of interest to the general public and are written at the reading level of most of the population. An academic periodical featuring scholarly articles written in a more specialist register is usually called a "journal." "Periodical" is the word usually used to describe magazines, journals, newspapers, newsletters, and anything else that is published in regular intervals for an indefinite period of time, but "Serial" is sometimes used, especially in librarianship.

Many weekend newspapers now incorporate magazine supplements with a magazine-like format.

The Gentleman's Magazine, first published in 1731, is considered to be the first general-interest magazine. The oldest magazine still in print is The Scots Magazine, which was first published in 1739. The most widely distributed magazine in the world is Reader's Digest (founded in 1922). Its worldwide circulation including all editions has reached 21 million copies and over 100 million readers. The Watchtower is the most widely distributed religious magazine in the world, with an average circulation of 26.4 million copies semimonthly in more than 150 languages.