public

Definitions of Public

1. (noun) A group that shares a common idea, interest or ideology.
2. (noun) The group affected by a policy.
3. (noun) A community or people in general.
4. (adjective) Concerning or relating to people considered as whole.
5. (adjective) Accessible and open to all people.

Examples of Public

• Definition 1:
  • The viewing public in relation to television watching.
• Definition 2:
  • Students that must pay a tuition increase.
• Definition 3:
  • The residents of a city.
• Definition 4:
  • public at large
  • public good
• Definition 5:
  • public forum
  • public gardens

Public Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: pub·lic

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˈpəblɪk/
• British English – /ˈpʌblɪk/

Usage Note

• Plural: publics

Additional Information

• Crime and Law Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Politics and Policy Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “public” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com

Related Terms

• authority
• group
• leader
• norm
• people
• power
• role
• society
• system

---

Works Consulted

Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.

Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Ravelli, Bruce, and Michelle Webber. 2016. Exploring Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. 3rd ed. Toronto: Pearson.

Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Cite the Definition of Public

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “public.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved January 16, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/public/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

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

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

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “public.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed January 16, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/public/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“public.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 16 Jan. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/public/>.