Meaning of public in English

public

adjective

/ˈpʌb.lɪk/ us

/ˈpʌb.lɪk/

public adjective (PEOPLE)

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relating to or involving people in general, rather than being limited to a particular group of people:

Public opinion (= the opinions of most people) has turned against him.

in the public interest Is it really in the public interest (= useful to people) to publish this information?

public awareness We need to increase public awareness of the disease.

public nuisance Peaceful demonstrations that do not cause a public nuisance (= do not harm other people) are a fundamental right in any truly democratic country.

public pressure The government has had to bow to public pressure on the issue.

The information only became public after his death.

be made public The results will not be made public (= told to everyone) until tomorrow.

More examplesFewer examples

The new tax caused a huge amount of public anger.
She will be making a public appearance, signing copies of her latest novel.
Her speech failed to generate the public support she had been hoping for.
The public mood changed dramatically after the bombing.
The government is trying to restore public confidence in its management of the economy.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Ordinary people

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public adjective (GOVERNMENT)

provided by the government from taxes to be available to everyone:

public funds/services/spending

public buildings

a public library

public office He is unlikely to hold public office (= an important job in national or local government).

More examplesFewer examples

In the survey, a majority of people favoured higher taxes and better public services over tax cuts.
The prime minister has announced that public spending will be increased next year.
We must stop public money being misspent in this way.
The new government's policy is to transfer state industries from the public sector to the private sector.
It is illegal for public officials to solicit gifts or money in exchange for favours.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

UK politics: government administration & organization

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public adjective (PLACE)

A public place is one where a lot of people are:

It's too public here - let's go back to my room to talk.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Ordinary people

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Idioms

be in the public eye
go public
go public (with something)
public enemy number one/no. 1

public

noun [ U, + sing/pl verb ]

/ˈpʌb.lɪk/ us

/ˈpʌb.lɪk/

the public

all ordinary people:

The public has a right to know about this.

open to the public The palace and its grounds are open to the public (= people can visit) during the summer months.

the general public When will the product be available to the general public (= all ordinary people)?

member of the public Members of the public were asked about their shopping habits.

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Mass murders hold a gruesome fascination for the public.
Companies publish annual reports to inform the public about the previous year's activities.
The garden in all its glory is now open to the public.
The police are appealing to the public for any information about the missing girl.
The company only supplies its goods to the building trade, not direct to the public.

the group of people who are involved with you or your organization, especially in a business relationship:

Newspapers publish these outrageous stories because they know what their public wants.

in public

in a place where people can see you:

I'd never behave like that in public.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Ordinary people

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Groups of people

(Definition of public from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

public | American Dictionary

public

adjective

/ˈpʌb·lɪk/

public adjective (INVOLVING PEOPLE)

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[ not gradable ]

relating to or involving people in general, rather than being limited to a particular group of people:

public opinion

They’re trying to raise public awareness of the benefits of early-childhood education.

His ideas have very little public support.

The results won’t be made public (= told to people in general).

public adjective (OPEN)

allowing anyone to see or hear what is happening:

a public performance

a public display of temper

in public

Something done in public is done where anyone can see or hear it:

He was afraid to be seen in public for some time after the incident.

public adjective (BY THE GOVERNMENT)

[ not gradable ]

involving or provided by the government, usually for the use of anyone:

public transportation

a public park

public housing

[ not gradable ]

Public also means supported by government funds, sometimes also by money given by private citizens:

public broadcasting/radio/television

public

noun [ U ]

/ˈpʌb·lɪk/

public noun [U] (PEOPLE)

all the people, esp. all those in one place or country:

The park is open to the public from sunrise to sunset.

The public is also the people who do not belong to a particular group or organization:

The book is not yet available to the general public.

Your public is the people involved with you or your organization, esp. in a business relationship:

The newspapers publish the stories they know their public wants to read.

(Definition of public from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

public | Business English

public

adjective

/ˈpʌblɪk/ us

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relating to ordinary people in general, rather than being limited to a particular group only:

Proper archiving and preservation will ensure permanent public access to government information.

They are trying to get public support for their takeover bid.

public opinion/confidence/trust

Senior politicians have been accused of failing to act in the public interest.

GOVERNMENT

relating to the government and to the services it provides to people:

She has said repeatedly that she would not seek public office again.

Why should public money be pumped into companies geared to profit?

The OECD is encouraging member states to keep a watchful eye on public finances, in part by encouraging more efficiency in the health care system of individual countries.

public services/funding/spending

known about by people in general:

The retailer has been working to improve its public image in the face of ongoing criticism.

The question of bonus payments to bankers has been the subject of much public discussion in recent times.

available for anyone to hear, watch, go to, or be involved in:

The company is holding a public meeting tonight to describe the proposal to residents.

a public inquiry/investigation/hearing

available for everyone to use:

a public telephone/library

public transport

STOCK MARKET, FINANCE

available to be bought by everyone, not just by people who are already shareholders:

Class A shares may be purchased at the public offering price.

go public

STOCK MARKET

a company that goes public makes shares available on a stock market for the first time:

After going public last May at $20 per share, they traded as high as $86 in October.

See also

initial public offering

in public

if something is done or said in public, everyone knows or hears about it:

These are issues that should be discussed in public.

make (sth) public

to say or publish something in order that everyone knows or hears about it:

The annual financial disclosure report was made public yesterday.

Compare

private

public

noun

/ˈpʌblɪk/ us

the public

ordinary people in general:

The role of watchdogs is to protect the public.

Air traffic controllers, baggage handlers, and members of the public were called to give evidence after a major security lapse at one of Europe's busiest airports.

See also

the general public

the viewing/voting/investing, etc. public

all the people who are involved in or affected by a particular activity:

A recent TV documentary about mutual fund investments raised the awareness of the investing public about fund fees.

(Definition of public from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of public

public

Journalists were among the key players, encouraging critical debate and public negotiation.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The players were also highly visible to the local public.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Her history of chemical theory refuses to isolate theory from the laboratory, the lecture hall, or the public and its philosophical interests.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In his visits to and walks around allotments, public housing projects and wasteland, he took photographs, drew maps and interviewed inhabitants or users of space.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Significantly, at the very same historical moment, another series of photographs of nationalist leaders was also being put into public circulation.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The public expenditure on blood tests in affluent countries, for instance, could feed entire regions in developing countries.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Using reflective practice to link personal and public theories.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Opening up the policy process to public, parties and politicians should be done with due reticence.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Only where both coincide can business be expected to act out of moral concerns for past sins or the future public good.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The remaining 43 % are in four-room and five-room public housing and with only 6 % in private housing.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Public policy remains important for the third tier though, in terms both of tax treatment and regulation.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Still, a public economist would remind us that looking at whether environmental tax swaps increase employment or not tells us nothing about social welfare.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The ten-second public announcement was supposed to be reassuring.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Further, 22.6 % of them (7/31) stated that they would not wear a mask when going to public areas, if they had any flu-like symptoms.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Theoretical linguists may wish for a stronger framework or tighter structure, but the book's informal style is more likely to attract and educate the public.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of public

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of public?

Translations of public

in Chinese (Traditional)

人們, 民眾的，大眾的, 政府…

in Chinese (Simplified)

人们, 公众的，大众的, 政府…

in Spanish

público, sin privacidad, público/ca [masculine-feminine…

in Portuguese

público, público/-ca…

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in Italian

लोक, सार्वजनिक, समूह…

公共（こうきょう）の, 公衆（こうしゅう）の…

halkla ilgili, umumi…

public/-ique, public…

públic…

openbaar…

ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட குழுவினருடன் மட்டுப்படுத்தப்படுவதை விட, பொதுவாக மக்களுடன் தொடர்புடையது அல்லது சம்பந்தப்பட்டது, அனைவருக்கும் கிடைக்க வேண்டிய வரிகளிலிருந்து அரசாங்கத்தால் வழங்கப்படுகிறது…

जनता, सार्वजनिक, सरकारी…

સાર્વજનિક, જાહેર, તમારી કે તમારા સંગઠન સાથે સંકળાયેલ લોકોનો સમૂહ…

offentlig…

offentlig, allmän…

awam, terbuka, org ramai…

öffentlich…