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.
BritishInformal. a tavern; public house.
Idioms for 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.
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.
Origin of public
1400–50; <Latin pūblicus (earlier pōblicus, pōplicus, akin to populuspeople); replacing late Middle English publique<Middle French <Latin, as above
Today, the solution that she built moves into public beta and will compete at TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield with other startups for $100,000 and the Disrupt Cup.
Perigee infrastructure security solution from former NSA employee moves into public beta|Ron Miller|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
The filings have been at the center of a legal fight between the impeached president and Democrats, who have demanded that he make the contents available to the American public.
Jaime Harrison Says He Feels ‘A Little Sad’ For Lindsey Graham|Hope Wright|September 17, 2020|Essence.com
During the most recent fiscal year, which ended in June, it rose again, to 314, according to the Cook County public guardian’s office.
Still No Answers to Lawmakers’ Questions About Children Stuck in Psychiatric Hospitals|by Duaa Eldeib|September 15, 2020|ProPublica
No Silicon Valley startup has gone public yet this year, but that bleak stretch is about to end.
Why Snowflake could become a tech giant|Aaron Pressman|September 15, 2020|Fortune
In 2015, the Obama-Biden administration orchestrated Mission Innovation, a compact among 20 countries to double public funding for energy RD&D over five years.
To confront the climate crisis, the US should launch a National Energy Innovation Mission|Amy Nordrum|September 15, 2020|MIT Technology Review
When cities started adding chlorine to their water supplies, in the early 1900s, it set off public outcry.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Not to be left behind, progressives in neighboring Wisconsin clamored to join the cutting edge of public health.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Great American leaders have long contributed profound thoughts of tremendous consequence to the public discourse.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Saved from the public gallows, Weeks was virtually exiled from the city, and wound up in Mississippi, where he raised a family.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A few years back, designer John Galliano was fined by the government for sharing just such anti-semitic sentiments in public.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is not to be supposed that he has been without partisan and prejudiced views of public questions.
The History of Peru|Henry S. Beebe
The public sorrow and indignation burst out without restraint.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, Complete|Duc de Saint-Simon
When a senator assumes to speak for the President, every senator possesses a public right to demand his authority for so doing.
Thirty Years' View (Vol. II of 2)|Thomas Hart Benton
The cupboard was in an antechamber which served as the public passage by which the apartments of Madame were reached.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, Complete|Duc de Saint-Simon
The influence of this work on the public mind was such as might have been anticipated.
The Martyrs of Science, or, The lives of Galileo, Tycho Brahe, and Kepler|David Brewster
British Dictionary definitions for public
public
/ (ˈpʌblɪk) /
adjective
of, relating to, or concerning the people as a whole
open or accessible to allpublic gardens
performed or made openly or in the view of allpublic proclamation
(prenominal)well-known or familiar to people in generala public figure
(usually prenominal)maintained at the expense of, serving, or for the use of a communitya public library
open, acknowledged, or notoriousa 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, etcthe racing public
Word Origin for public
C15: from Latin pūblicus, changed from pōplicus of the people, from populus people