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public
[ puhb-lik ]
adjective
- 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.
public
/ ˈpʌblɪk /
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
- go public
- (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
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Other Words From
- non·public adjective
- quasi-public adjective
- quasi-public·ly adverb
- un·public adjective
- un·public·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of public1
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Idioms and Phrases
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 .Discover More
Example Sentences
When cities started adding chlorine to their water supplies, in the early 1900s, it set off public outcry.
Not to be left behind, progressives in neighboring Wisconsin clamored to join the cutting edge of public health.
Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.
Great American leaders have long contributed profound thoughts of tremendous consequence to the public discourse.
Saved from the public gallows, Weeks was virtually exiled from the city, and wound up in Mississippi, where he raised a family.
As such it is now presented to the public for whatever meed of praise or censure it is found to deserve.
Five of the number had studied with Liszt before, and the young men are artists already before the public.
Many of these have been seen in the Corcoran Art Gallery and in other public exhibitions.
It was close upon twelve o'clock, and the "Rooms" had been open to the public for two hours.
It will be a busy session; and I want to see if I can't become a useful public man.
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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.
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