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View synonyms for public

public

[ puhb-lik ]

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or affecting a population or a community as a whole:

    public funds;

    a public nuisance.

  2. done, made, acting, etc., for the community as a whole:

    public prosecution.

  3. open to all persons:

    a public meeting.

  4. of, relating to, or being in the service of a community or nation, especially as a government officer:

    a public official.

  5. maintained at the public expense and under public control:

    a public library;

    a public road.

  6. generally known:

    The fact became public.

  7. familiar to the public; prominent:

    public figures.

  8. open to the view of all; existing or conducted in public:

    a public dispute.

  9. pertaining or devoted to the welfare or well-being of the community:

    public spirit.

  10. of or relating to all humankind; universal.


noun

  1. the people constituting a community, state, or nation.
  2. a particular group of people with a common interest, aim, etc.:

    the book-buying public.

  3. British Informal. a tavern; public house.

public

/ ˈpʌblɪk /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or concerning the people as a whole
  2. open or accessible to all

    public gardens

  3. performed or made openly or in the view of all

    public proclamation

  4. prenominal well-known or familiar to people in general

    a public figure

  5. usually prenominal maintained at the expense of, serving, or for the use of a community

    a public library

  6. open, acknowledged, or notorious

    a public scandal

  7. go public
    1. (of a private company) to issue shares for subscription by the public
    2. to reveal publicly hitherto confidential information
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


noun

  1. the community or people in general
  2. a part or section of the community grouped because of a common interest, activity, etc

    the racing public

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

  • non·public adjective
  • quasi-public adjective
  • quasi-public·ly adverb
  • un·public adjective
  • un·public·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of public1

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin pūblicus, earlier pōblicus, pōplicus (spelling influenced by pūbēs “adulthood”; pubes ), ultimately from popul(us) people + -icus -ic; replacing late Middle English publique, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
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Word History and Origins

Origin of public1

C15: from Latin pūblicus, changed from pōplicus of the people, from populus people
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. go public,
    1. to issue stock for sale to the general public.
    2. to present private or previously concealed information, news, etc., to the public; make matters open to public view:

      The senator threatened to go public with his congressional-reform plan.

  2. in public, not in private; in a situation open to public view or access; publicly:

    It was the first time that she had sung in public.

  3. make public, to cause to become known generally, as through the news media:

    Her resignation was made public this morning.

More idioms and phrases containing public

see go public ; in public ; in the public eye ; John Doe (Q. Public) ; wash one's dirty linen in public .
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Example Sentences

Today, the solution that she built moves into public beta and will compete at TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield with other startups for $100,000 and the Disrupt Cup.

The filings have been at the center of a legal fight between the impeached president and Democrats, who have demanded that he make the contents available to the American public.

During the most recent fiscal year, which ended in June, it rose again, to 314, according to the Cook County public guardian’s office.

No Silicon Valley startup has gone public yet this year, but that bleak stretch is about to end.

From Fortune

In 2015, the Obama-Biden administration orchestrated Mission Innovation, a compact among 20 countries to double public funding for energy RD&D over five years.

When cities started adding chlorine to their water supplies, in the early 1900s, it set off public outcry.

Not to be left behind, progressives in neighboring Wisconsin clamored to join the cutting edge of public health.

Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.

Great American leaders have long contributed profound thoughts of tremendous consequence to the public discourse.

Saved from the public gallows, Weeks was virtually exiled from the city, and wound up in Mississippi, where he raised a family.

As such it is now presented to the public for whatever meed of praise or censure it is found to deserve.

Five of the number had studied with Liszt before, and the young men are artists already before the public.

Many of these have been seen in the Corcoran Art Gallery and in other public exhibitions.

It was close upon twelve o'clock, and the "Rooms" had been open to the public for two hours.

It will be a busy session; and I want to see if I can't become a useful public man.

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More About Public

What does public mean?

Public is the people who make up a community, state, or nation, as in When a government raises taxes, the public has a right to know. A single person in this context is a member of the public.

Related to that, public is used to describe many things connected to the public, such as something related to it (public funds), providing a benefit to it (public school), or providing a service (public official).

Public can also describe something that is open or available to everyone, such as a public event or public information.

And public can describe something or someone known by the public. A celebrity is someone well known by very many people, so they are sometimes called public figures.

Example: Schools funded by the public are generally open to all students in the area.

Where does public come from?

The first records of the term public come from around the 1400s. It comes from the Latin publicus, meaning “people.”

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to public?

  • publicly (adverb)
  • publicness (noun)
  • nonpublic (adjective)
  • unpublic (adjective)
  • quasi-public (adjective)

What are some synonyms for public?

What are some words that share a root or word element with public?

What are some words that often get used in discussing public?

What are some words public may be commonly confused with?

How is public used in real life?

Public is a common word used in many contexts, often to describe something related to a population or community.

Try using public!

Is public used correctly in the following sentence?

“Bernice didn’t want anyone to know she changed jobs, so she kept that information public.”

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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