- the publicordinary people in society in general
- The palace is now open to the public.
- There have been many complaints from members of the public.
- The public has/have a right to know what is contained in the report.
- The campaign aims to educate the public about the dangers of excessive salt consumption.
Extra ExamplesTopics People in societya2- He accused the administration of deliberately misleading the public on this issue.
- The government was slow to inform the public about the health hazards of asbestos.
- We have a duty to protect the public from this type of fraudulent business activity.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- general
- educate
- inform
- protect
- …
- in public
- a member of the public
- a group of people who share a particular interest or who are involved in the same activity
- the theatre-going public
- She is an author who knows how to keep her public (= the people who buy her books) satisfied.
Extra Examples- The show drew 12% of the viewing public.
- Her work is now available to a wider public.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- book-buying
- movie-going
- paying
- …
ordinary people
group of people
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, from Latin publicus, blend of poplicus ‘of the people’ (from populus ‘people’) and pubes ‘adult’.
Idioms
See public in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee public in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishair/wash your dirty laundry/linen in public
- (disapproving) to discuss your personal affairs in public, especially something embarrassing
in public
- when other people, especially people you do not know, are present
- She has not been seen in public since the attempted coup.
- They never argue in public.
- He rarely appears in public these days.
Check pronunciation:
public