the public

noun

: the people of a country, state, etc.

the American public

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.

Examples of the public in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The agent gained unauthorized access to the public-facing Medicare Statistics Reporting Service, enabling it to access both public and non-public files, and to write files to an internal server. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026

As opposition to the Vietnam War intensified, the joined the weekly silent peace vigil in front of the public library. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

Washington can’t stop talking about AI doom scenarios and the public backlash to data centers — but around the world, sentiment toward the fast-moving technology is much more nuanced. — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Council member Dale Reynolds, who first made the motion to approve the ordinance, questioned whether there was any incentive for the public to willingly register their bikes. — Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 23 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for the public

• nonpublic
• republic
• semipublic