public

American  

[puhb-lik] / ˈpʌb lɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or affecting a population or a community as a whole.

   public funds;

   a public nuisance.

2. done, made, acting, etc., for the community as a whole.

   public prosecution.

3. open to all persons.

   a public meeting.

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

   a public official.

5. maintained at the public expense and under public control.

   a public library;

   a public road.

6. generally known.

   The fact became public.

7. familiar to the public; prominent.

   public figures.

8. open to the view of all; existing or conducted in public.

   a public dispute.

9. pertaining or devoted to the welfare or well-being of the community.

   public spirit.

10. of or relating to all humankind; universal.

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noun

public plural

1. the people constituting a community, state, or nation.

2. a particular group of people with a common interest, aim, etc..

   the book-buying public.

3. British Informal. a tavern; public house.

idioms

1. 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.

2. go public,

   1. to issue stock for sale to the general public.

   2. 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.

3. make public, to cause to become known generally, as through the news media.

   Her resignation was made public this morning.

public British  

/ ˈpʌblɪk /

adjective

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

2. open or accessible to all

   public gardens

3. performed or made openly or in the view of all

   public proclamation

4. (prenominal) well-known or familiar to people in general

   a public figure

5. (usually prenominal) maintained at the expense of, serving, or for the use of a community

   a public library

6. open, acknowledged, or notorious

   a public scandal

7. 1. (of a private company) to issue shares for subscription by the public

   2. to reveal publicly hitherto confidential information

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noun

1. the community or people in general

2. a part or section of the community grouped because of a common interest, activity, etc

   the racing public

public More Idioms  

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

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Usage

What does public mean? Public is the people who make up a community, state, or nation, as in When a government raises taxes, the public has a right to know. A single person in this context is a member of the public. Related to that, public is used to describe many things connected to the public, such as something related to it (public funds), providing a benefit to it (public school), or providing a service (public official). Public can also describe something that is open or available to everyone, such as a public event or public information. And public can describe something or someone known by the public. A celebrity is someone well known by very many people, so they are sometimes called public figures. Example: Schools funded by the public are generally open to all students in the area.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpublic
  adjective
• quasi-public
  adjective
• unpublic
  adjective
• quasi-publicly
  adverb
• unpublicly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• public
  plural

Etymology

Origin of public

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin pūblicus, earlier pōblicus, pōplicus (spelling influenced by pūbēs “adulthood”; see pubes), ultimately from popul(us) people + -icus -ic; replacing late Middle English publique, from Middle French, from Latin, as above

Explanation

Something that affects the entire community — whether it's your town, your country, or the world — is public. Climate change, for example, is a public concern, as is finding a clean public bathroom. You can use the word public as a noun, when you're talking about a large group of people. You might say that the public is getting tired of the inefficient bus system in your city, or that the new library branch is open to the public. The adjective public is good for discussing things that concern everyone. The Latin root word, publicus, means "of the people, of the state, common, or ordinary."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public

The 68 works — including 10 oil paintings by Kahlo — went on display at the Museum of Modern Art in February, the first public showing in Mexico in almost two decades.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Svetlana Grković, who was travelling with her husband Ljubisa Karović from Greece's Thessaloniki to Germany's Memmingen, told Greek public broadcaster ERT he was "outside up to his chest" for two minutes.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Still, beneath the public warmth is a relationship increasingly shifting in China’s favor—with Xi extracting concessions from Putin across areas ranging from energy to a new regional development bank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Residents of Monterey Park voted overwhelmingly to ban data centers, making the San Gabriel Valley city the first in the nation to do so by public vote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Rochester’s largest public hall was less than six months old.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• civic
• civil
• communal
• governmental
• mutual
• national
• popular
• social
• universal
• urban