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Synonyms

publicly

American  
[puhb-lik-lee] / ˈpʌb lɪk li /

adverb

  1. in a public or open manner or place.

  2. by the public.

  3. in the name of the community.

  4. by public action or consent.

publicly British  
/ ˈpʌblɪklɪ /

adverb

  1. in a public manner; without concealment; openly

  2. in the name or with the consent of the public

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of publicly

First recorded in 1925–30; public + -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On Friday, just a couple of days after publicly insisting that the probe would go on, Pirro finally caved.

From Slate • Apr. 25, 2026

The reversal comes days after Pirro said publicly she intended to press on with the case.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

The other two companies, which have yet to publicly confirm the news, could be privately held Usona Institute and Transcend.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Once publicly funded matching funds are added in, the mayor’s campaign has collected about $3.7 million.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

And the documents revealed a vast discrepancy between what government officials had been saying publicly and what they knew to be true.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.