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Synonyms

public figure

American

[puhb-lik fig-yer] / ˈpʌb lɪk ˈfɪg jər /

noun

a person who is widely known; celebrity.

The journalist talked about the often troubled relationship between public figures and the news media.
Famous athletes, actors, and other public figures have championed the issue.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

public figures

plural

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.

See Examples For:

public figure

And, unlike Musk, he was acting as a public figure.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

As a public figure, Sisic had spoken openly about her health condition.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

That’s when a person becomes “if not a public figure, certainly a quasipublic figure,” and their health status becomes material to investors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Forbes was also a public figure in a proposal to redevelop Fisherman’s Wharf, which envisions constructing a public plaza and adding a new overlook and lighting to the wharf’s inner lagoon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Not just a respectable grocer or dry cleaner or doctor, but a larger public figure who was willing to speak and act outside the tight sphere of his family.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.