public service

noun

1

: the business of supplying a commodity (such as electricity or gas) or service (such as transportation) to any or all members of a community

2

: a service rendered in the public interest

3

: governmental employment

especially : civil service

Examples of public service in a Sentence

The cost of public services is on the rise.

The station is running antismoking commercials as a public service.

The company is heavily involved in public service.

He works in public service.

She has devoted her life to public service.

Recent Examples on the Web

Although the World Bank has directed nearly $500 million in grants toward public service projects targeting electricity, water, health, and financial institutions, that will cover less than one percent of the country’s reconstruction needs. — Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026

Other speakers, including those who work in public service, asked the board to sufficiently fund public programs that have long had to go without sufficient funding. — Sofi Zeman august 31, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026

But despite this proximity to wealth, over the past 15 years, the country has endured economic collapse and has seen poverty grow and public services fail. — Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Aug. 2026

The man who caught him, Pete Willis (De Niro), has been retired from public service for almost as long, even if there are still a few loose ends that haunt him. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for public service

• interservice
• disservice
• preservice
• nervous
• nervus

Kids Definition

public service

noun

1

: the business of supplying a commodity (as electricity or gas) or service (as transportation) to any or all members of a community

2

: governmental employment

especially : civil service