: 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
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
Breccan F. Thies, Washington Examiner, 21 Nov. 2023
Microsoft, which has invested $13 billion in OpenAI, was leading the pressure campaign, one of the people said.
—Erin Griffith, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2023
Badenoch and Tugendhat have flagged the issue with Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer, the people said, as pressure mounts from backbench lawmakers for the government to intervene in the process.
—Ellen Milligan, arkansasonline.com, 20 Nov. 2023
Some of them asked that their names not be published out of fear of retaliation by the people who harmed them.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 20 Nov. 2023
My realm of potential envy would no longer be limited to just the people in my school or my neighborhood.
—Zadie Smith, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
Nadella has been leading the charge on talks between the different factions, some of the people said.
—Emily Chang, Fortune, 19 Nov. 2023
The fact that the people who make The Bear like to play our songs on The Bear, that’s very exciting and very rewarding.
—Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 9 Nov. 2023
The flourish of bringing the whole bird to the table is overrated in my opinion, anyway — let the people eat!
—Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
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Noun
If these petitions make it to the ballot, the people will decide.
—Breccan F. Thies, Washington Examiner, 21 Nov. 2023
Microsoft, which has invested $13 billion in OpenAI, was leading the pressure campaign, one of the people said.
—Erin Griffith, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2023
Badenoch and Tugendhat have flagged the issue with Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer, the people said, as pressure mounts from backbench lawmakers for the government to intervene in the process.
—Ellen Milligan, arkansasonline.com, 20 Nov. 2023
Some of them asked that their names not be published out of fear of retaliation by the people who harmed them.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 20 Nov. 2023
My realm of potential envy would no longer be limited to just the people in my school or my neighborhood.
—Zadie Smith, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
Nadella has been leading the charge on talks between the different factions, some of the people said.
—Emily Chang, Fortune, 19 Nov. 2023
The fact that the people who make The Bear like to play our songs on The Bear, that’s very exciting and very rewarding.
—Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 9 Nov. 2023
The flourish of bringing the whole bird to the table is overrated in my opinion, anyway — let the people eat!
—Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the people.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the people
Cite this Entry
“The people.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20people. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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