plebs
Americannoun
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(in ancient Rome) the common people, as contrasted with the patricians and later with the senatorial nobility or the equestrian order.
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the common people; the populace.
noun
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(functioning as plural) the common people; the masses
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(functioning as singular or plural) common people of ancient Rome Compare patrician
Etymology
Origin of plebs
First recorded in 1640–50, plebs is from the Latin word plēbs, plēbēs
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.
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
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
Reader Tyler Hogan responded with a really sharp comment, which he gave me permission to share here: This goes further than “managerial class wants to remind plebs who’s in power.”
From The Verge • Oct. 1, 2020
“It’s kind of nice that we plebs can truly connect with the rich and famous over these crappy dining choices and the horrific bowel movements that inevitably follow — there’s nothing more relatable than that.”
From Salon • Oct. 27, 2019
“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.
