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

Using only these assumptions, the team showed that the resulting mathematics naturally reproduced the defining characteristics of string theory, including its famous spectrum of particle masses and spins.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

He had also brought his bike, which seemed to be the best way to elude the masses.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

Researchers have also only been able to measure neutron star masses in binary systems where two objects orbit each other.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2026

The AI giant rattled users of secondary-share platforms, which bring investing in hot private companies to the masses.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

I search for him in the masses, wanting to tell him I'm not here for him to find me beautiful.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton