noun
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short for plebeian
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informal a common vulgar person
Usage
What else does pleb mean? A pleb, short for plebeian, is a person who is considered too ordinary or a thing deemed commonplace (e.g., basic and normie).
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pleb
1850–55, short for plebeian
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He has admitted swearing during the original incident but has always denied the allegation by the officer present, PC Toby Rowland, that he used the word "pleb".
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2014
After the "plebgate" incident at Downing Street in September 2012, then-Chief Whip Mr Mitchell apologised for using bad language but denied using the word pleb.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2014
"Spokes, lies and videotape," is how the Independent describes the reignited "Plebgate" row, as ex-cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell accuses police of systemic dishonesty in claiming the MP called a Downing Street officer a "pleb".
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2013
Conservative MP Mr Mitchell has always denied using the word "pleb" but has admits he lost his temper and swore at the officers after they refused to let him cycle through the main gate.
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2012
Methinks He fears this pleb as he once feared Sicinius.
From Virginia, A Tragedy And Other Poems by Gilmore, Marion Forster
These screens will show the fight to all us plebs come Sunday night.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
I’m continually assaulted by images of the Kardashians, the ultimate hot-mom clan, who’ve set the bar for the rest of us plebs, showing off their sculpted figures and eerily frozen faces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
That extra “pro” sale is a savings of $95 off MSRP, while the rest of us plebs are still saving a respectable $60.
From The Verge ● Jun. 29, 2022
Somewhere outside this room is the real world, where finery and foppishness won’t save these characters from an uprising of the plebs.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2022
“She’s my director. I’m gonna have to start making appointments for you plebs to talk to her.”
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
