public works

American  

plural noun

1. structures, as roads, dams, or post offices, paid for by government funds for public use.

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public works British  

plural noun

1. engineering projects and other constructions, financed and undertaken by a government for the community

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public works Cultural  

1. Public facilities and improvements financed by the government for the public good. Public works include hospitals, bridges, highways, and dams. These projects may be funded by local, state, or federal appropriations. (See also pork-barrel legislation.)

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Etymology

Origin of public works

First recorded in 1670–80

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public works

Proponents of the measure say the current system of overseeing public works is ineffective because responsibility is spread among multiple officials, commissions, agencies and bureaus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Los Angeles City Charter Amendment LA looks to change the way the city manages its budget and administers public works to more efficiently deliver basic city services such as repairing streets and sidewalks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

He proves as adept at building things as destroying them, and oversees large public works, including sewers, aqueducts and the original Pantheon in Rome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

That meant governments had to compensate people if public works like roads and aerodromes affected the value of property.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

That was not because chiefdoms were more kindly disposed toward defeated enemies but because the greater economic specialization of states, with more mass production and more public works, provided more uses for slave labor.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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