people
[ pee-puh l ]
/ ˈpi pəl /
noun, plural peo·ples for 4.
verb (used with object), peo·pled, peo·pling.
to furnish with people; populate.
to supply or stock as if with people: a meadow peopled with flowers.
Words nearby people
Origin of people
OTHER WORDS FROM people
synonym study for people
4. See race2.
usage note for people
People is usually followed by a plural verb and referred to by a plural pronoun: People are always looking for a bargain. The people have made their choice. The possessive is formed regularly, with the apostrophe before the -s: people's desire for a bargain; the people's choice. When people means “the entire body of persons who constitute a community or other group by virtue of a common culture, history, etc.,” it is used as a singular, with the plural peoples : This people shares characteristics with certain inhabitants of central Asia. The aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere speak many different languages. The formation of the possessive is regular; the singular is people's and the plural is peoples '.
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.
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 notes for people
See person.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for peopling
British Dictionary definitions for peopling
people
/ (ˈpiːpəl) /
noun (usually functioning as plural)
verb
(tr) to provide with or as if with people or inhabitants
Word Origin for people
C13: from Old French pople, from Latin populus; see populace
undefined people
See person
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with peopling
people
In addition to the idiom beginning with people
- people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
also see:
- tell (people) apart
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.