people
- persons indefinitely or collectively; persons in general: to find it easy to talk to people; What will people think?
- persons, whether men, women, or children, considered as numerable individuals forming a group: Twenty people volunteered to help.
- human beings, as distinguished from animals or other beings.
- the entire body of persons who constitute a community, tribe, nation, or other group by virtue of a common culture, history, religion, or the like: the people of Australia; the Jewish people.
- the persons of any particular group, company, or number (sometimes used in combination): the people of a parish; educated people; salespeople.
- the ordinary persons, as distinguished from those who have wealth, rank, influence, etc.: a man of the people.
- the subjects, followers, or subordinates of a ruler, leader, employer, etc.: the king and his people.
- the body of enfranchised citizens of a state: representatives chosen by the people.
- a person's family or relatives: My grandmother's people came from Iowa.
- (used in the possessive in Communist or left-wing countries to indicate that an institution operates under the control of or for the benefit of the people, especially under Communist leadership): people's republic; people's army.
- animals of a specified kind: the monkey people of the forest.
- to furnish with people; populate.
- to supply or stock as if with people: a meadow peopled with flowers.
Origin of people
Synonym study
Usage note
At one time, some usage guides maintained that people could not be preceded by a number, as in Fewer than 30 people showed up. This use is now unquestionably standard in all contexts.
Grammar note
person
- a human being, whether an adult or child: The table seats four persons.
- a human being as distinguished from an animal or a thing.
- an individual human being who likes or prefers something specified (used in combination): I've never been a cat person.
- Sociology. an individual human being, especially with reference to his or her social relationships and behavioral patterns as conditioned by the culture.
- Philosophy. a self-conscious or rational being.
- the actual self or individual personality of a human being: You ought not to generalize, but to consider the person you are dealing with.
- the body of a living human being, sometimes including the clothes being worn: He had no money on his person.
- the body in its external aspect: an attractive person to look at.
- a character, part, or role, as in a play or story.
- an individual of distinction or importance.
- a person not entitled to social recognition or respect.
- Law. a human being (natural person) or a group of human beings, a corporation, a partnership, an estate, or other legal entity (artificial person or juristic person) recognized by law as having rights and duties.
- Grammar. a category found in many languages that is used to distinguish between the speaker of an utterance and those to or about whom he or she is speaking. In English there are three persons in the pronouns, the first represented by I and we, the second by you, and the third by he, she, it, and they. Most verbs have distinct third person singular forms in the present tense, as writes; the verb be has, in addition, a first person singular form am.
- Theology. any of the three hypostases or modes of being in the Trinity, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
- be one's own person, to be free from restrictions, control, or dictatorial influence: Now that she's working, she feels that she's her own person.
- in person, in one's own bodily presence; personally: Applicants are requested to apply in person.
Origin of person
Synonym study
Grammar note
Using people as a plural of person has not always been free of controversy. From the mid nineteenth to the late twentieth century, the use of people instead of persons was hotly contested; and among some news publications, book publishers, and writers of usage books, it was expressly forbidden. To quell the fires of the argument, some usage authorities attempted to regulate use of the two forms—recommending persons when counting a small, specific number of individuals ( Three persons were injured in the accident ) and people when referring to a large, round, or uncountable number ( More than two thousand people bought tickets on the first day; People crowded around the exhibit, blocking it from view ).
But efforts to impose such precise rules in language usually fail. This rule does not appear in currently popular style manuals, and if such a rule still exists in anyone's mind, it is mainly ignored. People is the plural form that most people are most comfortable with most of the time. Persons seems excessively formal and stilted in ordinary conversation or casual writing. One would probably not say, “How many persons came to your birthday party?” In legal or formal contexts, however, persons is often the form of choice ( The police are looking for any person or persons who may have witnessed the crime; Occupancy by more than 75 persons is prohibited by the fire marshal ). In addition, persons is often used when we pluralize person in a set phrase ( missing persons; persons of interest ). Otherwise, the modern consensus is that people is the preferred plural. Persons is not wrong, but it is increasingly rare.
Usage note
Related Words for people
crowd, family, community, nation, society, public, folk, population, tribe, proletariat, nationality, horde, populace, masses, humankind, folks, rabble, humanity, multitude, herdExamples from the Web for people
Contemporary Examples of people
There was a lot of positive feedback from people interested in non-gender binary people.
Then add in all bored people, as well as people whose job it is to report on celebrities.
Was there an investigation of people at DOJ before they arrived at that conclusion?
Grindr currently has twelve ‘tribes,’ and for some people this just is not enough.
When twelve people are killed by violence, whoever they are, for whatever reason, that is a tragedy and a waste.
Historical Examples of people
They rile me—that talk about 'people in the humbler walks of life.'
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
Some one said the other day, "Ennui is a disease that comes from living on other people's money."
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
Some of the people demanded what he had to say of the gods, since he had spoken so ably of men.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
The people demanded of Antiphon the meaning of these visions.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
I found the people corrupted; and I must humour their disease.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
people
- persons collectively or in general
- a group of persons considered togetherblind people
- plural peoples the persons living in a country and sharing the same nationalitythe French people
- one's familyhe took her home to meet his people
- persons loyal to someone powerfulthe king's people accompanied him in exile
- the people
- the mass of persons without special distinction, privileges, etc
- the body of persons in a country, esp those entitled to vote
- (tr) to provide with or as if with people or inhabitants
Word Origin for people
xref
Person
- Christianity any of the three hypostases existing as distinct in the one God and constituting the Trinity. They are the First Person, the Father, the Second Person, the Son, and the Third Person, the Holy Ghost
person
- an individual human being
- the body of a human being, sometimes including his or her clothingguns hidden on his person
- a grammatical category into which pronouns and forms of verbs are subdivided depending on whether they refer to the speaker, the person addressed, or some other individual, thing, etc
- a human being or a corporation recognized in law as having certain rights and obligations
- philosophy a being characterized by consciousness, rationality, and a moral sense, and traditionally thought of as consisting of both a body and a mind or soul
- archaic a character or role; guise
- in person
- actually presentthe author will be there in person
- without the help or intervention of others
Word Origin for person
usage
Word Origin and History for people
late 13c., "humans, persons in general," from Anglo-French people, Old French peupel "people, population, crowd; mankind, humanity," from Latin populus "a people, nation; body of citizens; a multitude, crowd, throng," of unknown origin, possibly from Etruscan. The Latin word also is the source of Spanish pueblo, Italian popolo. In English, it displaced native folk.
Meaning "body of persons comprising a community" first recorded late 13c. in Anglo-French; meaning "common people, masses" (as distinguished from the nobility) first recorded c.1300 in Anglo-French. Meaning "one's own tribe, group, etc." is from late 14c. The word was adopted after c.1920 by Communist totalitarian states to give a spurious sense of populism to their governments. Legal phrase The People vs., in U.S. cases of prosecution under certain laws, dates from 1801. People of the Book "those whose religion entails adherence to a book of divine revelation (1834) translates Arabic Ahl al-Kitab.
late 15c. (intransitive), c.1500 (transitive), from people (n.), or else from Middle French peupler, from Old French peuple. Related: Peopled; peopling.
person
early 13c., from Old French persone "human being, anyone, person" (12c., Modern French personne) and directly from Latin persona "human being, person, personage; a part in a drama, assumed character," originally "mask, false face," such as those of wood or clay worn by the actors in later Roman theater. OED offers the general 19c. explanation of persona as "related to" Latin personare "to sound through" (i.e. the mask as something spoken through and perhaps amplifying the voice), "but the long o makes a difficulty ...." Klein and Barnhart say it is possibly borrowed from Etruscan phersu "mask." Klein goes on to say this is ultimately of Greek origin and compares Persephone.
Of corporate entities from mid-15c. The use of -person to replace -man in compounds and avoid alleged sexist connotations is first recorded 1971 (in chairperson). In person "by bodily presence" is from 1560s. Person-to-person first recorded 1919, originally of telephone calls.
person
(pûr′sən)- A living human.
- The composite of characteristics that make up an individual personality; the self.
- The living body of a human.
- Physique and general appearance.
person
An inflectional form (see inflection) of pronouns and verbs that distinguishes between the person who speaks (first person), the person who is spoken to (second person), and the person who is spoken about (third person). The pronoun or verb may be singular or plural. For example:
first person singular: I walk.
second person singular: you walk.
third person singular: he/she/it walks.
first person plural: we walk.
second person plural: you walk.
third person plural: they walk.
Idioms and Phrases with people
people
In addition to the idiom beginning with people
- people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
also see:
- tell (people) apart
person
In addition to the idiom beginning with person
- person of color
also see:
- feel like oneself (a new person)
- in person
- own person, one's