public

[puhb-lik]

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.

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 formsnon·pub·lic, adjectivequa·si-pub·lic, adjectivequa·si-pub·lic·ly, adverbun·pub·lic, adjectiveun·pub·lic·ly, adverb

Can be confusedpubic public

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

Related Words for public

urban, mutual, civic, civil, national, communal, governmental, social, popular, universal, overt, everyone, people, country, populace, community, nation, society, audience, electorate

Examples from the Web for public

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops
Melissa Leon
January 9, 2015
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
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

Historical Examples of public

The public road was thronged with people on their way to Olympia.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
The public offices at Albany were finished shortly after my arrival.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
You will never find us taking advantage of the necessities of the public.
Punchinello, Vol. 1. No. 20, August 13, 1870
Various
His forte was not in public speaking, but he hoped they would take the will for the deed.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
The Legislature is the watchful guardian over the public purse.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various

British Dictionary definitions for public

public

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

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.

"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.