general public

American  

[jen-er-uhl puhb-lik] / ˈdʒɛn ər əl ˈpʌb lɪk /

Also the general public

noun

1. all or most people, especially those not part of a specified group; ordinary people as opposed to officials, experts, politicians, etc..

   The books have been warmly received by critics and by the general public.

   This protocol can be adopted by any organization wishing to improve workplace health and safety for employees, customers, and the general public.

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Etymology

Origin of general public

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

Rep. Christian Menefee, argued that blockchain technology can increase trust and transparency among the general public.

From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026

One driver of the shift was Anthropic’s limited April release of Claude Mythos — with that model withheld from the general public because of its ability to autonomously find and exploit software vulnerabilities.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

Fans can sign up on Abrams’ website for access to the June 2 pre-sale for all dates before tickets go on sale to the general public June 5.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

The event was played out in front of a curated crowd of around 2,500, with tickets not on sale to the general public.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

Thus in the late 1960s and early 1970s, two schools of thought were offered to the general public regarding race, poverty, and the social order.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• association
• center
• company
• district
• nation
• neighborhood
• people
• public
• society
• state