Showing results for public goods. Search instead for Public+Goods.

public goods

British

plural noun

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

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Waterways must be treated as essential public goods.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

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

Doctorow’s concept about online platforms has since been applied everywhere and anywhere you can find capitalism hollowing out public goods.

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2024

These free riders don't contribute to the pool of public goods as much, but they still benefit from the contributions of others -- and they are a detriment to the system.

From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2024

At all events, for a term of years, his personal prosperity depends upon the use he can make of his hold upon the public goods.

From An American Politician by Crawford, F. Marion (Francis Marion)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023