public law

American  

noun

1. Also called public statute.  Also called public act,.  a law or statute of a general character that applies to the people of a whole state or nation.

2. a branch of law dealing with the legal relationships between the state and individuals and with the relations among governmental agencies.

3. public international law.

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public law British  

noun

1. a law that applies to the public of a state or nation

2. the branch of law that deals with relations between a state and its individual members Compare private law

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Etymology

Origin of public law

First recorded in 1765–75

Compare meaning

How does public-law compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• public law vs. private law

Example Sentences

She began her career in the legal industry with an international public law background.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

Thomas Hooker, the 17th-century “father of Connecticut,” invoked the model of the biblical “Hebrew Republic” in Election Day sermons to the settlers of that church-state, whose separation of religion and public law would come later.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2024

Separately, 71 Australian university teachers of constitution law and other fields of public law signed an open letter published Friday that rebutted the argument that the Voice would be “risky.”

From Seattle Times • Oct. 5, 2023

Broadly, cases are divided into disputes between separating parents, known as private law, and applications by local authorities to take children into care, which are public law.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2023

The capture was unjustifiable by every reason of equity and public law.

From The History of Cuba, vol. 2 by Johnson, Willis Fletcher