public interest

American

noun

the welfare or well-being of the general public; commonwealth.

health programs that directly affect the public interest.
appeal or relevance to the general populace.

a news story of public interest.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

public-interest

adjective

Etymology

Origin of public interest

First recorded in 1670–80

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.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Traci Park was leading public interest attorney Faizah Malik after a hard-fought contest to represent the city’s coastal neighborhoods, according to early election returns Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

In the letter, the lawmakers said that prediction markets tied to sports and other areas were against the public interest and offered little economic value.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

Lawmakers, legal authorities and public interest groups have increasingly been raising concerns about the personal and societal risks posed by AI, one of the fastest-growing consumer technologies in history.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

Emphasising that parliament was the source of checks and balances, he said that "we will vote for laws that are in the public interest and reject those that are not".

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

But when I urge him to speak out, to raise public interest as a defense against factional intrigue, he does not hear me.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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