Word family noun public publication publicist publicity adjective public verb publicize adverb publicly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpublicpub‧lic1 /ˈpʌblɪk/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective 1 ordinary people [only before noun]PGCSOCIETY relating to all the ordinary people in a country, who are not members of the government or do not have important jobs We have to show that publishing this story is in the public interest (=helpful or useful to ordinary people). full public access to information Public opinion is gradually shifting in favor of the imprisoned men. There was a public outcry (=expression of anger by a lot of people) about the shooting. Their activities have been hidden from the public gaze (=people's eyes or attention).2 for anyone [only before noun]PUBLIC/NOT PRIVATE available for anyone to use OPP private a public telephone a public footpath proposals to ban smoking in public places a public librarypublic transport British English, public transportation American English (=buses, trains etc)3 government [only before noun]PGPUBLIC/GOVERNMENT relating to the government and the services it provides for people OPP private the Government’s public spending plans We do not believe he is fit for public office (=a job in the government). efforts to control public expenditure public funding for the arts → public service4 known aboutPUBLIC/NOT PRIVATE known about by most people Details of the highly sensitive information have not been made public. Although not a public figure (=famous person), he was a man of great influence.5 not hiddenPUBLIC/NOT PRIVATE intended for anyone to know, see, or hear OPP private Today the school finds itself in the midst of a very public debate.public display of grief/affection etc (=showing your emotions so that everyone can see) She was acutely embarrassed by his public display of temper. There will be a public inquiry into the sinking of the oil tanker. a fear of public speaking6 place with a lot of peoplePLACE a public place usually has a lot of people in it OPP private Let’s go somewhere less public where we can talk. 7 → public life8 → public image9 → go public10 → public appearance11 → the public eye12 → public property13 → public enemy number oneExamples from the Corpus
public• Thatcher privatized publicly owned industries like electricity and telecommunications.• Can we go somewhere quieter? This place is a bit public.• a public beach• Is this a public beach?• The markets have shrugged off other harsh public comments about Mr Rubin.• The upsurge in our activity and in our public demands in the mid-1980s represented a declaration that our tolerance was running out.• The plan is due to go before a public enquiry next summer.• It is one of the few countries where they still hold public executions.• On July 1,1849, President Herrera called a special session of Congress to consider the questions of public finance.• We need to raise taxes to pay for better public healthcare.• You can get the information from your local public library• Soon to be added are some recent initial public offerings, among them Yahoo! and VocalTec.• We have also seen that there is no mechanical way of deciding whether a function is a public one or not.• Jeff was obviously calling from a public place.• proposals to ban smoking in public places• Smoking is no longer allowed in indoor public places.• Reiner insisted that public pressure did not influence his decision.• a public restroom• I've worked in the public sector all my life, mainly in local government.• public sector employees• garbage collection and other public services• There's been a big increase in public spending over the past three years.• In a public statement, Jackson and his wife announced their intention to get divorced.• Could you tell me where the public telephones are?• You now have to pay to use the public toilets at the station.• They're always telling people to use public transport because there are too many cars on the roads.public access• Of course, first it has to be put online, and granted public access.• That would not bode well for public access.• In this developing environment, can we maintain public access and secure the privacy of the individual?• They suggested that a public access catalogue would be a suitably demanding trial application.• His 10-point information policy stresses free access, establishment of information resource centres and public access to data banks.• The draft emphasises the use of best available technology and maximising transparency and public access to information on pollution control.• The aim is to allow full public access to the site.• He also called for existing club members to provide greater public access to their clubs.public transport• How many other gold medallists in the world travel by public transport?• Most transport investment has gone on road construction and not on public transport.• This had some value, leading old ladies to get up and give me their seat on public transport.• Timings are arranged to allow most people to reach the assembly point from home that day by car or public transport.• Nor does cheaper public transport help much.• Traffic lights can be reprogrammed to give public transport instant priority over other road users.• A report by development services director Stephen Tapper says bus lanes produce considerable time savings by allowing public transport unrestricted access. public office• Eventually she would like to run for public office.• I began considering a run for public office.• It's doubtful she ever has taken a single day of unpaid leave during any of her innumerable campaigns for public office.• Jones had never run for public office before being elected Senator.• He sold castles, manors, privileges, public offices, even towns.• If found guilty, Mr Walesa faced being banned from holding public office for 10 years.• The tribunal concluded that he should be dismissed and banned for three years from public office, forfeiting his seat in parliament.• Throughout the country the progressive spirit had elected more than five hundred socialists to various public offices in 1910 and 1911.• The early introduction of merit systems deprived them of patronage, and nominations for public office were outside their control.public figure• Annan was also a public figure.• Mr Carney was a public figure.• We're public figures and so therefore we know we're in the firing line.• The monarchists and conservatives claimed that all national and public figures and their acts should always be subject to scrutiny and criticism.• How can public figures be shy?• Teachers and administrators found to be either public officials or public figures have a higher burden of proof in defamation suits.• Peter Allis has turned golf into a kind of harmless interview where public figures hit a few shots and chat about themselves.• The newsletter says institutions should satisfy themselves that funds held on behalf of public figures stem from legitimate business.public speaking• At sixteen he joined the Gaelic League and took every opportunity to improve his writing and public speaking.• He is even being tutored on public speaking.• There are innumerable books on public speaking, dealing with everything from how to project your voice to what to wear.• This is Mr Reagan's only public speaking engagement on his tour to Britain.• If you still feel nervous about public speaking, give yourself permission to be less than perfect and do it anyway!• The course I took in public speaking has really improved my self-confidence.• Direct, trenchant writing came naturally, effective public speaking later.• Alternatively, you may decide to enroll in public speaking or other courses to improve yourself.• You want the job very much, but your fear of public speaking prevents you from accepting it immediately.• Executives in big companies need to have excellent public speaking skills. publicpublic2 ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 → the public2 → in public3 [singular, uncountable]APLISTEN the people who like a particular singer, writer etc He is adored by his public. The theatre-going public are very demanding.GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?• Public is usually followed by a singular verb: The public needs to be better informed.• In British English, you can also use a plural verb: The public need to be better informed.Examples from the Corpus
public• No Press appeals were made for assistance from the general public.• This task it has admirably fulfilled, becoming very popular with the general public.• The general public are, on the whole, pretty conservative about education.• He goes out of his way to make sure his public is satisfied.• It recognised the power and the autonomy of the public as a force to be reckoned with; predicted but never ignored.• But he says just as worrying, is the string of unjustified complaints made against him by members of the public.• As for why the public embraced it?From Longman Business Dictionarypublicpub‧lic1 /ˈpʌblɪk/ noun the public ordinary people who do not belong to the government or have any special position in societyAn offer for the sale of shares to the general public was planned for early next year.The privatisation was carried out against the wishes of the public.Companies that take significant sums of money from members of the public before providing goods are in a special position of trust.publicpublic2 adjective1connected with all the ordinary people in a country, who are not members of the government or do not have important jobsThe law was changed as the result of public pressure.2available for anyone to usea public telephone3connected with the government and with the services it provides for people55% of university funding in Britain comes from public money.We do not believe he is fit for public office (=the job of being part of a government).4known about by most peopleThe report will be made public (=told to everyone) in mid-January.The membership of the Board was public knowledge.5intended for anyone to know, see, or hearDemands for a public investigation have been ignored. —publicly adverbIt is time for multinational companies publicly to acknowledge that they have not always acted properly.6go publicFINANCE to become a PUBLIC COMPANY (=a company that has shares owned by the public)Investors expected the share price to rise steeply after the company went public.Origin public1 (1400-1500) French publique, from Latin publicus, probably from poplicus, from populus “people”; influenced by pubes “adult” ( → PUBES) 