the masses

Idioms  

1. The body of common people, or people of low socioeconomic status, as in TV sitcoms are designed to appeal to the masses. This idiom is nearly always used in a snobbish context that puts down the taste, intelligence, or some other quality of the majority of people. W.S. Gilbert satirized this view in the peers' march in Iolanthe (1882), in which the lower-middle class and the masses are ordered to bow down before the peers. Prime Minister William Gladstone took a different view (Speech, 1886): “All the world over, I will back the masses against the [upper] classes.” [First half of 1800s]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

the masses

The more the traditional studios get taken over and reimagined by the tech world, the fewer stories we’ll see greenlit and created for the masses.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

For some, being at sea is only one part of the appeal: The right ship can also provide an escape from the masses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

By analyzing these patterns, researchers could estimate important characteristics of the hidden binary, including the masses of the black holes and details of their orbital evolution.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026

Still, she is not seen by the masses as a pioneer, a term that brings to mind scientists and suffragettes.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

Corporal Snark was an intellectual snob who felt he was twenty years ahead of his time and did not enjoy cooking down to the masses.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller