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

See Examples For:

the masses

After 20 minutes, they found a spot — and joined the masses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

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

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

“The pale blue is to put the masses to sleep.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

This was our first event in the Transvaal, and it was necessary to have prominent figures lead the defiers, otherwise the leaders would appear to be hanging back while the masses took the punishment.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela