public
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.
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 about public
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
1Other words from public
- non·pub·lic, adjective
- quasi-public, adjective
- qua·si-pub·lic·ly, adverb
- un·pub·lic, adjective
- un·pub·lic·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with public
- pubic, public
Words Nearby public
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use public in a sentence
Today, the solution that she built moves into public beta and will compete at TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield with other startups for $100,000 and the Disrupt Cup.
Perigee infrastructure security solution from former NSA employee moves into public beta | Ron Miller | September 17, 2020 | TechCrunchThe filings have been at the center of a legal fight between the impeached president and Democrats, who have demanded that he make the contents available to the American public.
Jaime Harrison Says He Feels ‘A Little Sad’ For Lindsey Graham | Hope Wright | September 17, 2020 | Essence.comDuring the most recent fiscal year, which ended in June, it rose again, to 314, according to the Cook County public guardian’s office.
Still No Answers to Lawmakers’ Questions About Children Stuck in Psychiatric Hospitals | by Duaa Eldeib | September 15, 2020 | ProPublicaNo Silicon Valley startup has gone public yet this year, but that bleak stretch is about to end.
In 2015, the Obama-Biden administration orchestrated Mission Innovation, a compact among 20 countries to double public funding for energy RD&D over five years.
To confront the climate crisis, the US should launch a National Energy Innovation Mission | Amy Nordrum | September 15, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
When cities started adding chlorine to their water supplies, in the early 1900s, it set off public outcry.
Not to be left behind, progressives in neighboring Wisconsin clamored to join the cutting edge of public health.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTGreat 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 | THE DAILY BEASTSaved 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 | THE DAILY BEASTAs such it is now presented to the public for whatever meed of praise or censure it is found to deserve.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.Five of the number had studied with Liszt before, and the young men are artists already before the public.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayMany of these have been seen in the Corcoran Art Gallery and in other public exhibitions.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine ClementIt was close upon twelve o'clock, and the "Rooms" had been open to the public for two hours.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonIt will be a busy session; and I want to see if I can't become a useful public man.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
British Dictionary definitions for public
/ (ˈpʌblɪk) /
of, relating to, or concerning the people as a whole
open or accessible to all: public gardens
performed or made openly or in the view of all: public proclamation
(prenominal) well-known or familiar to people in general: a public figure
(usually prenominal) maintained at the expense of, serving, or for the use of a community: a public library
open, acknowledged, or notorious: a public scandal
go public
(of a private company) to issue shares for subscription by the public
to reveal publicly hitherto confidential information
the community or people in general
a part or section of the community grouped because of a common interest, activity, etc: the racing public
Origin of public
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with public
see go public; in public; in the public eye; John Doe (Q. Public); wash one's dirty linen in public.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse