masses

British  

/ ˈmæsɪz /

plural noun

1. the body of common people

2. informal (often foll by of) great numbers or quantities

   masses of food

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Explanation

The masses refers to a large, general group of regular folks — the common people of a society. If you’re super rich, you ride around in a private jet while the masses take crowded buses. The masses don’t include celebrities, rich people, royalty, or political leaders. The masses are everybody else. People use this term when they need to speak generally about the majority, although it often refers to the lower class. To win an election, a politician must appeal to the masses. Popular movies and music also must appeal to the masses — in other words, they need mass appeal. The word masses is also just plural for any kind of mass.

Example Sentences

Still, she is not seen by the masses as a pioneer, a term that brings to mind scientists and suffragettes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

“What these guys have done is do the thing that prediction markets before have not done well, which is bring the masses to the market,” she said.

From Salon • May 24, 2026

Clinicians are gathering iris scans, voice recordings and harnessing AI to crunch through and curate masses of data to spot signs of change that may be early indicators of future problems.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Woolworth and Paramount Pictures offering relief to the masses.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

They conducted trade along roads that crisscrossed the land masses and waterways of the American continents.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz