the people

1 of 2

noun (1)

: the ordinary people in a country who do not have special power or privileges

She is well-liked as a senator because she listens to the people.

the common people

the People

2 of 2

noun (2)

US, law

—used to refer to the government of the U.S. or of a particular state in the name of a legal case

The People vs. John Doe

Examples of the people in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But the American coverage doesn’t feel especially American — at least not in terms of the people on it. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 18 July 2026

Asking the people with the least protection to spend the most courage is the most respectable alibi available to anyone with a title. — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

One of the people who best embodies that meeting of worlds is Lee Ann Felder-Heim, an immigration lawyer from the Asian Law Caucus organization. — Albinson Linares, NBC news, 18 July 2026

The problem is that Thiel’s Antichrist looks, with extraordinary precision, exactly like the people who want to regulate Peter Thiel. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 July 2026

Rhymes for the people

• steeple
• businesspeople
• craftspeople
• laypeople
• salespeople
• townspeople
• tradespeople
• workpeople