1
2
as in populace
the body of the community as contrasted with the elite
tensions mounted until the people rose up in rebellion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in family
a group of persons who come from the same ancestor
introduced my new boyfriend to my people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to inhabit
to supply with inhabitants
a science-fiction novel about a mission to people Mars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of people
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 8 June 2026
Three people were killed Sunday night in a shooting in Canoga Park, police said.
—Noah Goldberg
follow, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026
Throughout Humphreys County and Hickman County, peopled gathered with their churches for support and comfort in the days after the tragedy.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for people
Plural noun
Ancheta said there were no immediate reports of casualties, but some people fainted following the strong tremor.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 8 June 2026
Three people were killed Sunday night in a shooting in Canoga Park, police said.
—Noah Goldberg
follow, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Verb
Why can’t people RSVP properly for goodness’ sake?
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026
Throughout Humphreys County and Hickman County, peopled gathered with their churches for support and comfort in the days after the tragedy.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for people
Recent Examples of Synonyms for people
Verb
-
As previously reported, Silo is set in a self-sustaining underground city inhabited by a community whose recorded history dates back only 140 years.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
-
It was filmed on our streets, in our bars, and featured many of the men who inhabited the late 1970s gay world.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Participants travel by horseback to South American landscapes few people ever reach, from vast valleys and sweeping pampas to ancient lenga forests and high plateaus populated with condors.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
6 June 2026
-
But one thing the out gay filmmaker has never done, somehow, is helm a project populated entirely by LGBTQ+ actors and characters.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“People.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/people. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
