public goods

British  

plural noun

1. services such as national defence, law enforcement, and road building, that are for the benefit of, and available to, all members of the public

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Example Sentences

Waterways must be treated as essential public goods.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

Church-state separation is worth defending not necessarily because of the principle in and of itself, but because it helps protect public goods.

From Slate • Feb. 3, 2025

But their contributions to various critical public goods are undeniable, and they left behind many institutions dedicated to many noble ends.

From Salon • Dec. 31, 2024

Economist Arvind Subramanian calls this Mr Modi's "New Welfarism", funding essential private items like toilets, rather than expanding public goods such as primary education and healthcare.

From BBC • May 8, 2024

Indeed they were common property at the post, most of them handed down with the rest of the public goods and chattels by their predecessors of the ----th.

From An Apache Princess A Tale of the Indian Frontier by Remington, Frederic