public policy

American  

[puhb-lik pol-uh-see] / ˈpʌb lɪk ˈpɒl ə si /

noun

1. 1. the body of laws and other measures that affect the general public.

      These officeholders are creating public policy on important issues including affordable housing and the environment.

   2. the underlying principles, values, or objectives that inform these laws and other measures: In a secular state, no religion can become the basis of public policy.

      The Institute participates in shaping public debate and public policy through inquiry and dialogue.

      In a secular state, no religion can become the basis of public policy.

2. Law. the principle that injury to the public good or public order constitutes a basis for declaring an act or transaction illegal or invalid.

   The principle of public policy requires that we judge the tendency of the contract at the time when it was entered into.

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Etymology

Origin of public policy

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public policy

In an interview, Lindsay Elin, a vice president of public policy at Meta, said the company’s investment from the $1 billion fund will look different in each community.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

A “low-key” campaign will mitigate the threat of dwindling supplies and high casualties, without necessarily providing Trump with a path to victory, said Stephen Biddle, a professor of international and public policy at Columbia University.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Guest: Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan and “deputy platypus” at Platypus Economics.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

"This is a crusade," says Georgios Samaras, an assistant professor of public policy at King's College London who studies the European and US far right.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

As an undergraduate at Cornell, he started off as a public policy major.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove