1
as in open
not known by only a select few
the mayor's plans to retire have been public knowledge for some time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unrestricted
freely available for use or participation by all
a public swimming pool
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in national
of or relating to a nation
a trade agreement in the public interest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in general
held by or applicable to a majority of the people
public sentiment was against the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in collective
used or done by a number of people as a group
public transportation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in populace
the body of the community as contrasted with the elite
the highbrows have always disdained his novels, but the public just eats them up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of public
Dené K. Dryden, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
Gabi is expected to make its next public appearance at Seoul’s upcoming Lantern Festival on May 16-17, honoring the Buddha’s birthday.
—Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
David Ingram, NBC news, 6 May 2026
Puzzled, and concerned for the passengers and crew on the m/v Hondius, but not at this point alarmed for the greater public.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for public
Adjective
At that time, around 200 public hospitals, along with federally qualified health centers, were eligible for 340B pricing.
—Dené K. Dryden, Twin Cities, 8 May 2026
Gabi is expected to make its next public appearance at Seoul’s upcoming Lantern Festival on May 16-17, honoring the Buddha’s birthday.
—Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
Noun
Zilis has sometimes appeared alongside Musk in public.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 6 May 2026
Puzzled, and concerned for the passengers and crew on the m/v Hondius, but not at this point alarmed for the greater public.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for public
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public
Adjective
-
Rescuers found the son trapped with his dead dad’s body after forcing open their apartment door, Singh said.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
-
Their hounding defense and Johnson’s decision to aggressively trap Anthony Edwards blew the game wide open, as the Spurs let the Wolves take open 3s, and Minnesota missed almost all of them.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Dosunmu, an unrestricted free agent, now has a playoff stage to showcase his talent and cash in this summer.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
-
Vucevic is the Celtics’ only impending unrestricted free agent.—
Zack Cox,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
And just this week, more than 70 Democratic representatives called for maintaining barriers to Chinese cars for both national security and economic reasons.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
-
Davis will lead Solbari’s wholesale strategy, building a national network of sales representatives, securing retail partnerships and establishing a seasonal wholesale cadence.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Much like the demonstrations two decades ago, organizers on Friday also called for a general boycott — no school, no work, no shopping — in an effort to demand that the country put workers above billionaires by taxing the rich.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
-
The one issue for Banchero, and the Magic in general, was free-throw shooting.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
For example, the capabilities of the chip-manufacturer TSMC emerge from the collective intelligence of its 90,000 interacting employees.—
Matthew Hutson,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
-
Last are the members of Open Group, a Ukrainian contemporary art collective that attempts to confront the war through its artistic practice.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The other major source of jet fuel exports to world markets are refineries in China, South Korea and India.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
-
Maybe soccer has a world of fans who haven’t quite grasped this new-money concept.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Was Widow’s Bay a literal prison at one point, or is this a metaphor that speaks to how desperately the populace clings to the past?—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Instead of Gladiators fighting for our entertainment, the emperors are shadowboxing before an angry populace.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In separate filings, both media outlets raised questions as to the validity of the NFL’s broadcast antitrust exemption, a provision established under the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Cuba’s government displayed on the broadcast nautical maps to show where the Pro-Line was spotted, its route through Cuban waters and the location where the shooting occurred.—
David Smiley,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Public.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
