public

[ puhb-lik ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or affecting a population or a community as a whole:

   public funds;

   a public nuisance.

2. done, made, acting, etc., for the community as a whole:

   public prosecution.

3. open to all persons:

   a public meeting.

4. of, relating to, or being in the service of a community or nation, especially as a government officer:

   a public official.

5. maintained at the public expense and under public control:

   a public library;

   a public road.

6. generally known:

   The fact became public.

7. familiar to the public; prominent:

   public figures.

8. open to the view of all; existing or conducted in public:

   a public dispute.

9. pertaining or devoted to the welfare or well-being of the community:

   public spirit.

10. of or relating to all humankind; universal.

noun

1. the people constituting a community, state, or nation.
2. a particular group of people with a common interest, aim, etc.:

   the book-buying public.

3. British Informal. a tavern; public house.

public

/ ˈpʌblɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or concerning the people as a whole
2. open or accessible to all

   public gardens

3. performed or made openly or in the view of all

   public proclamation

4. prenominal well-known or familiar to people in general

   a public figure

5. usually prenominal maintained at the expense of, serving, or for the use of a community

   a public library

6. open, acknowledged, or notorious

   a public scandal

7. go public
   1. (of a private company) to issue shares for subscription by the public
   2. to reveal publicly hitherto confidential information

noun

1. the community or people in general
2. a part or section of the community grouped because of a common interest, activity, etc

   the racing public

Other Words From

• non·public adjective
• quasi-public adjective
• quasi-public·ly adverb
• un·public adjective
• un·public·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of public¹

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin pūblicus, earlier pōblicus, pōplicus (spelling influenced by pūbēs “adulthood”; pubes ), ultimately from popul(us) people + -icus -ic; replacing late Middle English publique, from Middle French, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of public¹

C15: from Latin pūblicus, changed from pōplicus of the people, from populus people

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go public,
   1. to issue stock for sale to the general public.
   2. to present private or previously concealed information, news, etc., to the public; make matters open to public view:

      The senator threatened to go public with his congressional-reform plan.

2. in public, not in private; in a situation open to public view or access; publicly:

   It was the first time that she had sung in public.

3. make public, to cause to become known generally, as through the news media:

   Her resignation was made public this morning.

More idioms and phrases containing public

see go public ; in public ; in the public eye ; John Doe (Q. Public) ; wash one's dirty linen in public .

Example Sentences

“I know how frustrating it can be to wait on results during this long process,” she said in a public video.

From Los Angeles Times

The fight has spilled into public view, with advisers such as billionaire Elon Musk promoting Lutnick for the position and criticising one of the alternative candidates, Scott Bessent, as too "business as usual".

From BBC

The lawyer's combative and sometimes aggressive tone elicited gasps from the public and the media inside the courtroom, and several people shook their heads in disbelief.

From BBC

“The FDA’s war on public health is about to end,” he wrote, decrying the agency’s “aggressive suppression” of such worthless anti-COVID nostrums as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.

From Los Angeles Times

Clarke is not the type of character to dwell on the lessons learned at the Euros for fear of inviting a public inquisition that he has no desire to be part of.

From BBC

Related Words

• civic
• civil
• communal
• governmental
• mutual
• national
• popular
• social
• universal
• urban

More About Public

What does public mean?

Public is the people who make up a community, state, or nation, as in When a government raises taxes, the public has a right to know. A single person in this context is a member of the public.

Related to that, public is used to describe many things connected to the public, such as something related to it (public funds), providing a benefit to it (public school), or providing a service (public official).

Public can also describe something that is open or available to everyone, such as a public event or public information.

And public can describe something or someone known by the public. A celebrity is someone well known by very many people, so they are sometimes called public figures.

Example: Schools funded by the public are generally open to all students in the area.

Where does public come from?

The first records of the term public come from around the 1400s. It comes from the Latin publicus, meaning “people.”

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to public?

• publicly (adverb)
• publicness (noun)
• nonpublic (adjective)
• unpublic (adjective)
• quasi-public (adjective)

What are some synonyms for public?

• civic
• community
• social
• population
• society

What are some words that share a root or word element with public?

• pub
• public administration
• public interest
• publicist

What are some words that often get used in discussing public?

• school
• health
• policy
• service

What are some words public may be commonly confused with?

• pubic

How is public used in real life?

Public is a common word used in many contexts, often to describe something related to a population or community.

My favorite parts of the central branch of the Boston Public Library during my youth were the map room and the microfiche room.

RIP to the latter.

— Samantha Powell (@sdpowell1) July 6, 2022

The internet as we know it was developed by taxpayer-funded research, using taxpayer-funded grants in taxpayer-funded labs.

Our tax dollars built the internet.

It should be a public good for all, not another price-gouging profit machine for Comcast, AT&T and Verizon.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 6, 2019

This is why I think doctoral degrees in public policy are more valuable, because one can focus on policy analysis without fussing over these Beautiful Maths (not that I'm biased on that question or anything)

— Michael Rodríguez (@MRodDC) July 6, 2022

Try using public!

Is public used correctly in the following sentence?

“Bernice didn’t want anyone to know she changed jobs, so she kept that information public.”