plebs

[ plebz ]
See synonyms for plebs on Thesaurus.com
noun(used with a plural verb)
  1. (in ancient Rome) the common people, as contrasted with the patricians and later with the senatorial nobility or the equestrian order.

  2. the common people; the populace.

Origin of plebs

1
First recorded in 1640–50, plebs is from the Latin word plēbs, plēbēs

Words Nearby plebs

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use plebs in a sentence

  • He falls upon the plebs of the open fields, and his bands put everything to fire and to the sword.

  • For this the Romans thirsted—patricians and plebs alike, rich and poor, man, woman and child.

    "Unto Caesar" | Baroness Emmuska Orczy

British Dictionary definitions for plebs

plebs

/ (plɛbz) /


noun
  1. (functioning as plural) the common people; the masses

  2. (functioning as singular or plural) common people of ancient Rome: Compare patrician

Origin of plebs

1
C17: from Latin: the common people of ancient Rome

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