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]

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Example Sentences

The masses conform to formerly “out there” ideas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

The masses are eager to see their favorite starlet shine bright again, and it’s time to pursue a project that isn’t tailor-made for Jimmy Fallon’s lowball questions and dated references.

From Salon • Dec. 3, 2024

The masses may not be at the booking-the-flights stage just yet, but they're close.

From BBC • Jun. 18, 2023

The masses expected this, because most Engelhardt races become dances not with her fellow numbers but with the numbers of history.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2023

The masses never revolt of their own accord, and they never revolt merely because they are oppressed.

From "1984" by George Orwell