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

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

• “[Culture is] a ‘tool kit’ of symbols, stories, rituals, and world-views, which people may use in varying configurations to solve different kinds of problems” (Swidler 1986:273).
• “[R]esearchers frequently select a representative sample (a small group of respondents) from a larger population (the total group of people) to answer questions about their attitudes, opinions, or behavior” (Kendall 2006:31).
• “Whereas a society is composed of people, a culture is composed of ideas, behavior, and material possessions. Society and culture are interdependent; neither could exist without the other” (Kendall 2006:42).

Related Video

Additional Information

• Word origin of “people” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
• Homans, George Caspar. 1950. The Human Group. New York: Harcourt, Brace.

Related Terms

• behavior
• casual crowd
• crowd
• demography
• humanity
• individual
• population
• theory

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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 September 17, 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 September 17, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/people/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“people.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 17 Sep. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/people/>.