public
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or affecting a population or a community as a whole.
public funds;
a public nuisance.
-
done, made, acting, etc., for the community as a whole.
public prosecution.
-
open to all persons.
a public meeting.
-
of, relating to, or being in the service of a community or nation, especially as a government officer.
a public official.
-
maintained at the public expense and under public control.
a public library;
a public road.
-
generally known.
The fact became public.
-
familiar to the public; prominent.
public figures.
-
open to the view of all; existing or conducted in public.
a public dispute.
-
pertaining or devoted to the welfare or well-being of the community.
public spirit.
-
of or relating to all humankind; universal.
noun
-
the people constituting a community, state, or nation.
-
a particular group of people with a common interest, aim, etc..
the book-buying public.
-
British Informal. a tavern; public house.
idioms
-
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.
-
go public,
-
to issue stock for sale to the general public.
-
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.
-
-
make public, to cause to become known generally, as through the news media.
Her resignation was made public this morning.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or concerning the people as a whole
-
open or accessible to all
public gardens
-
performed or made openly or in the view of all
public proclamation
-
(prenominal) well-known or familiar to people in general
a public figure
-
(usually prenominal) maintained at the expense of, serving, or for the use of a community
a public library
-
open, acknowledged, or notorious
a public scandal
-
-
(of a private company) to issue shares for subscription by the public
-
to reveal publicly hitherto confidential information
-
noun
-
the community or people in general
-
a part or section of the community grouped because of a common interest, activity, etc
the racing public
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
- nonpublic adjective
- quasi-public adjective
- quasi-publicly adverb
- unpublic adjective
- unpublicly adverb
Etymology
Origin of public
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
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.
