public utility

noun

: a business organization (such as an electric company) performing a public service and subject to special governmental regulation

Examples of public utility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The op-ed made the incredible claim that ratings agencies were being swayed by public utilities companies, meanwhile the PURA chair operates in the shadows. —Timothy M. Herbst, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2025

New Jersey residents got some bad news earlier this year when the state's public utilities board warned that their electricity bills could surge up to 20% starting on June 1. —Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 16 June 2025

Voters will also elect the next Unified Government mayor/CEO, county sheriff, respective school board members, public utility board members and more. —Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 9 June 2025

Secret agreements Our research, reviewing nearly 50 public utility commission proceedings about data centers’ power needs across 10 states, uncovered dozens of secretive contracts between utilities and data centers. —Eliza Martin, The Conversation, 5 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for public utility

• acceptability
• accessibility
• adaptability
• admissibility
• advisability
• affordability
• allowability
• amenability
• amiability
• appealability
• applicability
• availability

Kids Definition

public utility

noun

: a business organization performing a public service and subject to special governmental regulation

Legal Definition

public utility

noun

: a business organization (as an electric company) performing a public service and subject to special government regulation