public

public — adjective

1. connected with all the people who live in a society, rather than only a specific

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

connected with all the people who live in a society, rather than only a specific group or a single person.

Example

Public opinion about the new recycling program has been very positive.

collocation: public opinion

The mayor held a public meeting to answer questions from local residents.

collocation: public meeting

Common collocations
  • public opinion
  • public concern
  • public interest
  • public meeting
  • public debate
  • public awareness
  • public access
  • public health
Synonyms
  • general

    used in 'general public' to mean the whole population, but not interchangeable for all collocations (e.g. 'general opinion' ≠ 'public opinion')

  • communal

    more formal and stresses shared ownership or use within a community

  • popular

    focuses on what many people like or support, rather than what involves them

Antonyms
  • private

    belonging to or concerning a particular person or group, not the general population

Grammar Patterns

public + noun (public opinion, public interest, public health)

the public + noun

Usage Note

This is the broadest sense of 'public' as an adjective. It attaches to the noun that follows as something belonging to, affecting, or concerning everyone — not just a private individual or company. Do not use comparative forms (✗ 'more public opinion'); the concept is binary.

Common Mistakes

This is a more public issue than that one.
This issue affects more people than that one does.
'public' does not have a comparative form.
The public opinion about the movie is good.
Public opinion about the movie is good.
no article needed when used as an adjective before a noun.

2. paid for, owned, or run by the government using money from taxes, so that everyo

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

paid for, owned, or run by the government using money from taxes, so that everyone in a community can use it.

Example

Lakshmi takes the public bus to work every morning.

collocation: public transport

Public schools in the district received new computers from the city government.

collocation: public school

Common collocations
  • public transport
  • public school
  • public library
  • public healthcare
  • public hospital
  • public service
  • public university
  • public funding
Synonyms
  • state

    more common in British English for government-run institutions (e.g. 'state school')

  • government

    used as adjective ('government agency', 'government funding'), but less natural for services like transport

  • municipal

    used for local city or town government services

Antonyms
  • private

    run by individuals or companies for profit, not by the government

Grammar Patterns

public + noun (public transport, public school, public library)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 is about government ownership or funding, whereas sense 1 is about the general population as a whole. A 'public hospital' is government-run; 'public opinion' means what people think. Some nouns can take both senses with different meanings: 'public service' can mean a government service (sense 2) or a service for the community (sense 1).

Common Mistakes

I go to a public school in America, and we pay tuition fees.
I go to a private school in America, and we pay tuition fees.
In the US, public schools are free and funded by the government.

3. describing a location, space, or area where anyone is allowed to go or where man

3.adjectiveA2
Definition

describing a location, space, or area where anyone is allowed to go or where many people gather.

Example

Aoi enjoys reading novels in the public park near her apartment.

collocation: public park

Smoking is banned in all indoor public places across the city.

collocation: public place

Common collocations
  • public place
  • public park
  • public square
  • public space
  • public beach
  • public area
  • public thoroughfare
  • public footpath
Synonyms
  • open

    emphasises lack of restrictions rather than crowd presence

  • communal

    stresses shared use by a group

Antonyms
  • private

    restricted to a specific person or group, not freely accessible

  • enclosed

    not open to general view or entry

Grammar Patterns

public + noun (public place, public park, public space)

be + public (describing a location)

Usage Note

This sense applies specifically to physical locations. It overlaps with sense 2 when the place is government-owned (a 'public park' is usually also provided by the government), but the focus here is on open access and visibility, not funding source. A 'public square' in a privately owned shopping centre is still a 'public place' under this sense.

Common Mistakes

This restaurant is a public place, so anyone can come in.
This restaurant is open to the public.
'public place' usually means a government-owned or outdoor space, not every business that serves customers.

4. describing a company whose ownership is divided into shares that any person can

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a company whose ownership is divided into shares that any person can buy or sell on a stock exchange.

Example

The tech start-up went public on the New York Stock Exchange last year.

phrasal pattern: go public

Selim invested in several public companies that focus on renewable energy.

collocation: public company

Common collocations
  • public company
  • public offering
  • public corporation
  • go public
  • publicly traded
  • public listing
Synonyms
  • listed

    more specific — means the company's shares are listed on a recognised stock exchange

  • traded

    emphasises that the company's shares are actively bought and sold

Antonyms
  • private

    shares owned by a small group, not available to the general public

Grammar Patterns

public + noun (public company, public offering)

go + public (become a publicly traded company)

Usage Note

This is a specialised business sense. 'Public' here contrasts with 'private' (where shares are held by a small group and not traded on an exchange). 'Go public' is a fixed verb phrase meaning to issue shares for the first time (an Initial Public Offering, or IPO). The noun 'public' is not used in this business sense.

Common Mistakes

Apple is a public company, so anyone can walk in and buy things there.
Apple is a public company, so anyone can buy shares in it on the stock exchange.
'public company' relates to share ownership, not customer access.

5. known or seen by many people because it is not hidden or kept private.

5.adjectiveB1
Definition

known or seen by many people because it is not hidden or kept private.

Example

The actor's divorce became public after a newspaper published the story.

pattern: become public

Camila made a public apology for her comments during the live broadcast.

collocation: public apology

Common collocations
  • public figure
  • public knowledge
  • public apology
  • public statement
  • make public
  • become public
  • go public
Synonyms
  • open

    can replace 'public' in some contexts ('open secret', 'open knowledge'), but less formal

  • known

    simpler but not restricted to wide public awareness — can be known by a few people

  • overt

    formal, meaning done or shown in an open and obvious way

Antonyms
  • secret

    kept hidden or known only by a few people

  • private

    not intended to be known or seen by others

  • confidential

    kept secret out of privacy or official policy

Grammar Patterns

make + something + public

become + public

be + public + noun (public figure, public knowledge)

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive construction 'be made public' and 'become public'. Unlike senses 1–3, this sense regularly follows linking verbs. A 'public figure' is a well-known person, not necessarily a government official — the emphasis is on visibility, not on belonging to the general population.

Common Mistakes

I want to make a public apology to my friend in private.
I want to apologise to my friend in private.
'public apology' means the apology is made openly where others can hear or see; apologising in private cannot be a public apology.
Phrasal verbs

go public

phrasal verb

to start selling shares of a private company to the general public on a stock exchange for the first time.

The family business went public in 2019 and raised fifty million dollars.

Evelyn was hired to prepare the company's accounts before it went public.

go public

phrasal verb

to reveal private or secret information to the public, especially through the media.

The whistleblower decided to go public with the documents about water pollution.

Ilan went public with his accusations during a televised interview.

Idioms

be common/public knowledge

idiom

This means that many people in a group or community know about something.

The fact that they are dating is common knowledge at school.

Is it public knowledge that the company is closing?

go public

idiom

This means to reveal a secret to everyone.

The celebrity decided to go public about her illness.

When will the company go public with its new product?

in the public eye

idiom

This describes someone who is famous and often seen in the media.

Politicians are always in the public eye.

Maya wants a normal life, not to be in the public eye.

public — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'The public' refers to ordinary people in general, considered as a group with shared interests or rights. It is the most natural word when talking about access, opinion, or awareness ('open to the public', 'public outcry'). 'The people' is broader and more political — it can mean the citizens of a nation ('government of the people') or a specific cultural group. 'The population' is a statistical or demographic term: it counts how many people live somewhere ('the population of Taipei is 2.5 million'). 'The community' suggests a smaller, defined group with shared identity or location ('the local community', 'the scientific community'). 'Society' is the most abstract: it refers to the structures and relationships that organise people, not the people themselves. Choose 'the public' when the focus is on everyday people as the audience or beneficiaries of something.

the publicthe peoplethe populationthe communitysociety ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in public
  • make public
  • become public
  • go public
  • the general public
  • public at large
  • open to the public
  • members of the public
  • public and private

Prepositions

  • in public
  • before the public
  • from the public
  • to the public
  • by the public

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Public' came into English in the 1300s from Old French 'publique', which came from Latin 'publicus', meaning 'of the people'. The Latin word 'publicus' itself developed from 'poplicus' (an earlier form) related to 'populus' meaning 'people'. Over time the word grew from describing anything related to the people as a whole to covering government services, open spaces, traded shares, and information that is not kept secret.