public

[ puhb-lik ]

/ ˈpʌb lɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR public ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or affecting a population or a community as a whole: public funds; a public nuisance.

done, made, acting, etc., for the community as a whole: public prosecution.

open to all persons: a public meeting.

of, relating to, or being in the service of a community or nation, especially as a government officer: a public official.

maintained at the public expense and under public control: a public library; a public road.

generally known: The fact became public.

familiar to the public; prominent: public figures.

open to the view of all; existing or conducted in public: a public dispute.

pertaining or devoted to the welfare or well-being of the community: public spirit.

of or relating to all humankind; universal.

noun

the people constituting a community, state, or nation.

a particular group of people with a common interest, aim, etc.: the book-buying public.

British Informal. a tavern; public house.

Nearby words

pubic region, pubic symphysis, pubiotomy, pubis, publ., public, public access, public accountant, public act, public address system, public administration

Idioms

go public,

to issue stock for sale to the general public.
to present private or previously concealed information, news, etc., to the public; make matters open to public view: The senator threatened to go public with his congressional-reform plan.

in public, not in private; in a situation open to public view or access; publicly: It was the first time that she had sung in public.

make public, to cause to become known generally, as through the news media: Her resignation was made public this morning.

Origin of public

1400–50; < Latin pūblicus (earlier pōblicus, pōplicus, akin to populus people); replacing late Middle English publique < Middle French < Latin, as above

Related forms

non·pub·lic, adjectivequa·si-pub·lic, adjectivequa·si-pub·lic·ly, adverbun·pub·lic, adjective

un·pub·lic·ly, adverb

Can be confusedpubic public

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for public

When cities started adding chlorine to their water supplies, in the early 1900s, it set off public outcry.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Not to be left behind, progressives in neighboring Wisconsin clamored to join the cutting edge of public health.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Great American leaders have long contributed profound thoughts of tremendous consequence to the public discourse.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Saved from the public gallows, Weeks was virtually exiled from the city, and wound up in Mississippi, where he raised a family.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

A few years back, designer John Galliano was fined by the government for sharing just such anti-semitic sentiments in public.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is not to be supposed that he has been without partisan and prejudiced views of public questions.
The History of Peru|Henry S. Beebe
The public sorrow and indignation burst out without restraint.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, Complete|Duc de Saint-Simon
When a senator assumes to speak for the President, every senator possesses a public right to demand his authority for so doing.
Thirty Years' View (Vol. II of 2)|Thomas Hart Benton
The cupboard was in an antechamber which served as the public passage by which the apartments of Madame were reached.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, Complete|Duc de Saint-Simon
The influence of this work on the public mind was such as might have been anticipated.
The Martyrs of Science, or, The lives of Galileo, Tycho Brahe, and Kepler|David Brewster

British Dictionary definitions for public

public

/ (ˈpʌblɪk) /

adjective

of, relating to, or concerning the people as a whole

open or accessible to allpublic gardens

performed or made openly or in the view of allpublic proclamation

(prenominal) well-known or familiar to people in generala public figure

(usually prenominal) maintained at the expense of, serving, or for the use of a communitya public library

open, acknowledged, or notoriousa public scandal

go public

(of a private company) to issue shares for subscription by the public
to reveal publicly hitherto confidential information

noun

the community or people in general

a part or section of the community grouped because of a common interest, activity, etcthe racing public

Word Origin for public

C15: from Latin pūblicus, changed from pōplicus of the people, from populus people

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

Word Origin and History for public (1 of 2)

public

adj.

late 14c., "open to general observation," from Old French public (c.1300) and directly from Latin publicus "of the people; of the state; done for the state," also "common, general, public; ordinary, vulgar," and as a noun, "a commonwealth; public property," altered (probably by influence of Latin pubes "adult population, adult") from Old Latin poplicus "pertaining to the people," from populus "people" (see people (n.)).

Early 15c. as "pertaining to the people." From late 15c. as "pertaining to public affairs;" meaning "open to all in the community" is from 1540s in English. An Old English adjective in this sense was folclic. Public relations first recorded 1913 (after an isolated use by Thomas Jefferson in 1807).

Public office "position held by a public official" is from 1821; public service is from 1570s; public interest from 1670s. Public-spirited is from 1670s. Public enemy is attested from 1756. Public sector attested from 1949.

Public school is from 1570s, originally, in Britain, a grammar school endowed for the benefit of the public, but most have evolved into boarding-schools for the well-to-do. The main modern meaning in U.S., "school (usually free) provided at public expense and run by local authorities," is attested from 1640s. For public house, see pub.

Word Origin and History for public (1 of 2)

public

"the community," 1610s, from public (adj.); meaning "people in general" is from 1660s. In public "in public view, publicly" is attested from c.1500.

Idioms and Phrases with public

public

see go public; in public; in the public eye; John Doe (Q. Public); wash one's dirty linen in public.

public

adjective

noun

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Origin of public

Examples from the Web for public

British Dictionary definitions for public

public

adjective

noun

Word Origin for public

Word Origin and History for public (1 of 2)

public

Word Origin and History for public (1 of 2)

public

Idioms and Phrases with public

public