public

1 of 2

adjective

pub·​lic ˈpə-blik 

1

a

: exposed to general view : open

b

: well-known, prominent

c

: perceptible, material

2

a

: of, relating to, or affecting all the people or the whole area of a nation or state

public law

b

: of or relating to a government

c

: of, relating to, or being in the service of the community or nation

3

a

: of or relating to people in general : universal

b

: of, by, for, or directed to the public (see public entry 2 sense 2) : popular

in the public eye

a campaign to raise public awareness of the issue

He's certainly aware that public opinion has soured on him this year …

—Bryan Rolli

4

: of or relating to business or community interests as opposed to private affairs : social

5

: devoted to the general or national welfare : humanitarian

6

a

: accessible to or shared by all members of the community

b

: capitalized in shares that can be freely traded on the open market

—often used with go

7

: supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by income from commercials

public radio

public television

publicness noun

public

2 of 2

noun

plural publics

1

: a place accessible or visible to the public

—usually used in the phrase in public

2

: the people as a whole : populace

3

: a group of people having common interests or characteristics

specifically : the group at which a particular activity or enterprise aims

Synonyms

Adjective

• open

Noun

• folks
• humanity
• humankind
• people
• species
• world

Examples of public in a Sentence

Adjective

Public outrage over the scandal eventually forced him to resign.

The ads are intended to increase public awareness of the risks of smoking.

She was elected to a public office.

He was in Congress for many years but he recently retired from public life.

They decided on a nearby restaurant as a convenient public place to meet.

The government has allowed public access to the documents.

The city council is holding a public meeting.

This will be her first public performance in five years.

Her trial will be public.

Noun

The beach is open to the public.

The general public is in favor of the law.

Members of the public called for the mayor's resignation.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The duo first went public with their relationship in 2019 at the American Music Awards. —Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2023

With recruitment rates to the U.S. military falling, attention is turning to the rise of woke politics, which is undermining public confidence in America's military leaders. —Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 21 Sep. 2023

Rounding out the tributes, Portuguese public broadcaster RTP was exalted and awarded Broadcaster of the Year, very much reflecting the wider industry trends that have seen public broadcasters take pride of place at the Toulouse-set animation co-production forum. —Ben Croll, Variety, 21 Sep. 2023

The group wrote a letter to Newsom earlier Thursday urging him against declaring a state of emergency to give Lara the power to change the regulations with a lower degree of public comment. —Sam Dean, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023

There is no public evidence that Chinese companies have used foreign DNA for reasons other than scientific research. —Cate Brown, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023

There was little public discussion of trans people. —Laurie Marhoefer, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Sep. 2023

The day care was licensed on May 16 by the state’s Office of Children and Family Services, according to public records. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2023

While other architects define their legacies with skyscrapers or an array of international public commissions, Kalach’s residential architecture is not just his most personal work but his most impressive. —Suleman Anaya Fabian Martinez, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023

Noun

The rise of generative AI has animated the tech sector and broader public — becoming the latest buzzword out of Silicon Valley since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT service late last year. —Catherine Thorbecke, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023

An informed public means a strong republic and Meet the Press is dedicated to that cause. —Nbc Universal, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2023

Class and race collide and titillate the tabloid-reading public: a poor man laying claim to a great fortune, supported by the son of a slave. —Lynn Steger Strong, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023

The flaring of the second intifada in 2000 and spikes in Palestinian terrorist attacks soured the Israeli public on the project of peace. —Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023

My books and research have explored how these two states were sold to the U.S. public as twin Edens. —Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2023

Will a weary public be more interested this year? Sept. 13, 2023 What vaccines will be available? —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023

In a June episode of RHONJ, Joe and his sister Teresa Giudice had a public falling out on-camera. —Sabienna Bowman, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2023

The American public is evenly divided about whether UFO reports by people in the military are evidence of life outside Earth, according to a 2021 poll by the Pew Research Center. —WIRED, 14 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English publique, from Anglo-French, from Latin publicus; akin to Latin populus people

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing public

• caught the public imagination
• come to public notice
• certified public accountant
• hold (someone) up to (public) ridicule
• go on public assistance
• go public
• in public
• initial public offering
• for the common/public good
• public assistance
• public affairs
• public address announcer
• public address system
• make public
• notary public
• public access
• in the national/public interest
• in the public eye
• in the public domain
• public knowledge
• public-key
• public house
• public image
• public enemy number one
• public defender
• public health
• public domain
• public figure
• public convenience
• public policy
• public opinion
• public officer
• public law
• public land
• public property
• public relations
• public sale
• public servant
• public school
• public service
• public service announcement
• public sector
• public speaker
• public speaking
• public-service corporation
• public transport
• public square
• public transit
• public-spirited
• public utility
• public works
• quasi-public
• the public
• the public purse
• the court of public/world opinion
• the general public
• the public domain
• public transportation
• Members of the public

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• caught the public imagination
• come to public notice
• certified public accountant
• hold (someone) up to (public) ridicule
• go on public assistance
• go public
• in public
• initial public offering
• for the common/public good
• public assistance
• public affairs
• public address announcer
• public address system
• make public
• notary public
• public access
• in the national/public interest
• in the public eye
• in the public domain
• public knowledge
• public-key
• public house
• public image
• public enemy number one
• public defender
• public health
• public domain
• public figure
• public convenience
• public policy
• public opinion
• public officer
• public law
• public land
• public property
• public relations
• public sale
• public servant
• public school
• public service
• public service announcement
• public sector
• public speaker
• public speaking
• public-service corporation
• public transport
• public square
• public transit
• public-spirited
• public utility
• public works
• quasi-public
• the public
• the public purse
• the court of public/world opinion
• the general public
• the public domain
• public transportation
• Members of the public

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Kids Definition

public

1 of 2 adjective

pub·​lic ˈpəb-lik 

1

a

: of, relating to, belonging to, or affecting all the people

public law

b

: provided by the government

public education

c

: relating to or engaged in the service of the community or nation

public life

2

: of or relating to community interests as opposed to private affairs

a radio program in the public interest

3

: devoted to the general welfare

needed leaders with public spirit

4

: open to or shared by all

a public meeting

the public library

5

a

: generally known

the story became public

b

: well-known

a public figure

6

: supported by income from public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials

public television

publicly adverb

public

2 of 2 noun

1

: a place open or visible to people

seen in public

2

: the people as a whole

a lecture open to the public

3

: a particular group of people

a writer's public

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English publique "relating to the people as a whole, public," from early French publique (same meaning), from Latin publicus "belonging to the people as a whole," from populus "the people" — related to popular, republic

Legal Definition

public

1 of 2 adjective

pub·​lic

1

a

: exposed to general view

public indecency

b

: known or recognized by many or most people

2

a

: of, relating to, or affecting all of the people or the whole area of a nation or state

public statutes

b

: of or relating to a government : authorized by, administered by, or acting for the people as a political entity

public expenditures

the public prosecutor

c

: of, relating to, or being in the service of the community or nation

holding public office

d

: provided for, used by, or containing the records of a government agency

the post office and other public buildings

3

: of or relating to people in general

4

: of or relating to business or community interests as opposed to private affairs

public policy

5

: devoted to the general or national welfare

6

: accessible to or shared by all members of the community

a public hearing

compare private

7

: capitalized in shares that can be freely traded on the open market

—often used with go

publicly adverb

public

2 of 2 noun

1

: a place accessible or visible to the public

—usually used in the phrase in public

2

: the people as a whole