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people

Definitions of People

  1. (noun) The collective term for human beings.
  2. (noun) A specific group of human beings.

Example of People

  • The people of the United States.

People Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: peo·ple

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /pEE-puhl/
  • British English – /pEE-puhl/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈpip(ə)l/
  • British English – /ˈpiːpl/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: peoples
  • The term “people” is plural, but can also be pluralized as peoples, for example “all the peoples of the world must come together to stop climate change”.

Related Quotations

Related Video

Additional Information

Related Terms


References

Kendall, Diana. 2006. Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Swidler, Ann. 1986. “Culture in Action: Symbols and Strategies.” American Sociological Review 51(2):273–86. doi:10.2307/2095521.

Cite the Definition of People

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “people.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/people/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

people. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/people/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “people.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/people/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“people.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/people/>.