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View synonyms for

people

[ pee-puhl ]

noun

plural peoples
  1. persons indefinitely or collectively; persons in general:

    to find it easy to talk to people; will people think?

  2. persons, whether men, women, or children, considered as numerable individuals forming a group:

    Twenty people volunteered to help.

  3. human beings, as distinguished from animals or other beings.
  4. the entire body of persons who constitute a community, tribe, nation, or other group by virtue of a common culture, history, religion, or the like:

    the people of Australia; the Jewish people.

  5. the persons of any particular group, company, or number (sometimes used in combination):

    the people of a parish; educated people; salespeople.

  6. the ordinary persons, as distinguished from those who have wealth, rank, influence, etc.:

    a man of the people.

  7. the subjects, followers, or subordinates of a ruler, leader, employer, etc.:

    the king and his people.

  8. the body of enfranchised citizens of a state:

    representatives chosen by the people.

  9. a person's family or relatives:

    My grandmother's people came from Iowa.

  10. (used in the possessive in Communist or left-wing countries to indicate that an institution operates under the control of or for the benefit of the people, especially under Communist leadership):

    people's republic; people's army.

  11. animals of a specified kind:

    the monkey people of the forest.



verb (used with object)

peopled, peopling.
  1. to furnish with people; populate.
  2. to supply or stock as if with people:

    a meadow peopled with flowers.

people

/ ˈ辱ːə /

noun

  1. persons collectively or in general
  2. a group of persons considered together

    blind people

  3. peoples the persons living in a country and sharing the same nationality

    the French people

  4. one's family

    he took her home to meet his people

  5. persons loyal to someone powerful

    the king's people accompanied him in exile

  6. the people
    1. the mass of persons without special distinction, privileges, etc
    2. the body of persons in a country, esp those entitled to vote
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. tr to provide with or as if with people or inhabitants
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Usage Note

People is usually followed by a plural verb and referred to by a plural pronoun: People are always looking for a bargain. The people have made their choice. The possessive is formed regularly, with the apostrophe before the -s: people's desire for a bargain; the people's choice. When people means “the entire body of persons who constitute a community or other group by virtue of a common culture, history, etc.,” it is used as a singular, with the plural peoples : This people shares characteristics with certain inhabitants of central Asia. The aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere speak many different languages. The formation of the possessive is regular; the singular is people's and the plural is peoples '. At one time, some usage guides maintained that people could not be preceded by a number, as in Fewer than 30 people showed up. This use is now unquestionably standard in all contexts.
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Usage

See person
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Grammar Note

Is the plural persons or people? See person.
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Other Word Forms

  • p· adjective
  • p noun
  • dzܳpp verb (used with object) outpeopled outpeopling
  • ܲd·p adjective
  • ɱ-p adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of people1

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English peple, from Anglo-French poeple, Old French pueple, from Latin populus; popular
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Word History and Origins

Origin of people1

C13: from Old French pople, from Latin populus; see populace
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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with people , also see tell (people) apart .
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Synonym Study

See race 2.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“We strive to be leaders in our own professions and sections,” Scott said, “and to see true leaders of other arenas inspire a group of people like that was really impressive.”

From

Authorities have arrested two foreign nationals accused of hiring people to harass, intimidate and threaten a Los Angeles resident who had publicly criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping, the U.S.

From

Officials are working to identify people who may have been exposed while the infected person was contagious with the virus.

From

"The war is against the people of Sudan," Ms Ahmed says, bemoaning the war's human cost, as well as the unimaginable loss of centuries of heritage.

From

John Patrick Mallon, of Catholic video production company Sancta Familia Media, said the city was already packed full of people, with "extraordinary security measures" put in place by the Italian government.

From

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How Do You Spell People?

Spelling tips for people

The word people is hard to spell because, based on how it’s pronounced, you wouldn’t expect that o to be there. 

How to spell people: First, remember that it’s not spelled peeple, even though it sounds like it should be. Next, remember that it has an o in it. Then remember that the letters op when placed together look like the two eyes and a nose on a person’s face, looking out at you from the middle of the word (see it now?!).

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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peonypeople carrier