people

peo·ple (p

n. pl. people

1. Humans considered as a group or in indefinite numbers: People were dancing in the street. I met all sorts of people.

2. A body of persons living in the same country under one national government; a nationality.

3. pl. peo·ples A body of persons sharing a common religion, culture, language, or inherited condition of life.

4. Persons with regard to their residence, class, profession, or group: city people.

5. The mass of ordinary persons; the populace. Used with the: "those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes" Thomas Jefferson.

6. The citizens of a political unit, such as a nation or state; the electorate. Used with the.

7. Persons subordinate to or loyal to a ruler, superior, or employer: The queen showed great compassion for her people.

8. Family, relatives, or ancestors.

9. Informal Animals or other beings distinct from humans: Rabbits and squirrels are the furry little people of the woods.

tr.v. peo·pled, peo·pling, peo·ples

To furnish with or as if with people; populate.

[Middle English peple, from Old French pueple, from Latin populus, of Etruscan origin.]

peopler n.

Usage Note: As a term meaning "a body of persons sharing a culture," people is a singular noun, as in As a people the Pueblo were noteworthy for their peacefulness. Its plural is peoples: the many and varied peoples of West Africa. But when used to mean "humans," people is plural and has no corresponding singular form. English is not unique in this respect; Spanish, Italian, Russian, and many other languages have a plural word meaning "people" that has no singular. Some grammarians have insisted that people is a collective noun that should not be used as a substitute for persons when referring to a specific number of individuals. By this thinking, it is correct to say Six persons were arrested, not Six people were arrested. But people has always been used in such contexts, and almost no one makes the distinction anymore. Persons is still preferred in legal contexts, however, as in Vehicles containing fewer than three persons may not use the left lane during rush hours. Only the singular person is used in compounds involving a specific numeral: a six-person car; a two-person show. But people is used in other compounds: people mover; people power. These examples are exceptions to the general rule that plural nouns cannot be used in such compounds; note that we do not say teethpaste or books-burning. See Usage Note at man.

people

Noun, pl

1. persons collectively or in general

2. a group of persons considered together: old people suffer from anaemia more often than younger people do

3. pl -ples the persons living in a particular country: the American people

4. one's family or ancestors: her people originally came from Skye

5. the people

a. the mass of ordinary persons without rank or privileges

b. the body of persons in a country who are entitled to vote

Verb

[-pling, -pled]

to provide with inhabitants: the centre of the continent is sparsely peopled [Latin populus]

USAGE: See at person.

People human beings collectively, 1374.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	people - (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively; "old people"; "there were at least 200 people in the audience" individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" group, grouping - any number of entities (members) considered as a unit human beings, human race, humankind, humans, mankind, humanity, world, man - all of the living human inhabitants of the earth; "all the world loves a lover"; "she always used `humankind' because `mankind' seemed to slight the women" plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one peoples - the human beings of a particular nation or community or ethnic group; "the indigenous peoples of Australia" age bracket, age group, cohort - a group of people having approximately the same age ancients - people who lived in times long past (especially during the historical period before the fall of the Roman Empire in western Europe) baffled - people who are frustrated and perplexed; "the children's faces clearly expressed the frustration of the baffled" blind - people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group; "he spent hours reading to the blind" blood - people viewed as members of a group; "we need more young blood in this organization" brave - people who are brave; "the home of the free and the brave" cautious, timid - people who are fearful and cautious; "whitewater rafting is not for the timid" business people, businesspeople - people who transact business (especially business executives) damned - people who are condemned to eternal punishment; "he felt he had visited the realm of the damned" dead - people who are no longer living; "they buried the dead" living - people who are still living; "save your pity for the living" deaf - people who have severe hearing impairments; "many of the deaf use sign language" defeated, discomfited - people who are defeated; "the Romans had no pity for the defeated" disabled, handicapped - people collectively who are crippled or otherwise physically handicapped; "technology to help the elderly and the disabled" doomed, lost - people who are destined to die soon; "the agony of the doomed was in his voice" enemy - any hostile group of people; "he viewed lawyers as the real enemy" episcopacy, episcopate - the collective body of bishops common people, folk, folks - people in general (often used in the plural); "they're just country folk"; "folks around here drink moonshine"; "the common people determine the group character and preserve its customs from one generation to the next" free, free people - people who are free; "the home of the free and the brave" homebound - people who are confined to their homes enlightened, initiate - people who have been introduced to the mysteries of some field or activity; "it is very familiar to the initiate" uninitiate - people who have not been introduced to the mysteries of some field or activity; "it diverts the attention of the uninitiate" developmentally challenged, mentally retarded, retarded - people collectively who are mentally retarded; "he started a school for the retarded" network army - a group of like-minded people united by the internet; a new kind of social or political of business group that may exert broad influence on a shared concern; "a network army of software programmers contribute free software to those who want it" nationality - people having common origins or traditions and often comprising a nation; "immigrants of the same nationality often seek each other out"; "such images define their sense of nationality" peanut gallery - (figurative) people whose criticisms are regarded as irrelevant or insignificant (resembling uneducated people who throw peanuts on the stage to express displeasure with a performance); "he ignored complaints from the peanut gallery" pocket - a small isolated group of people; "they were concentrated in pockets inside the city"; "the battle was won except for cleaning up pockets of resistance" retreated - people who have retreated; "he had only contempt for the retreated" sick - people who are sick; "they devote their lives to caring for the sick" tradespeople - people engaged in trade maimed, wounded - people who are wounded; "they had to leave the wounded where they fell"
	2.	people - the body of citizens of a state or country; "the Spanish people" citizenry group, grouping - any number of entities (members) considered as a unit country people, countryfolk - people living in the same country; compatriots Arcado-Cyprians, Achaean - the ancient Greek inhabitants of Achaea Aeolian - the ancient Greek inhabitants of Aeolia Dorian - the ancient Greek inhabitants of Doris who entered Greece from the north about 1100 BC Ionian - the ancient Greek inhabitants of Attica and related regions in Ionia electorate - the body of enfranchised citizens; those qualified to vote governed - the body of people who are citizens of a particular government; "governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed"--Declaration of Independence citizen - a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
	3.	people - members of a family line; "his people have been farmers for generations"; "are your people still alive?" kinfolk, kinsfolk, phratry, family line, sept, folk, family - people descended from a common ancestor; "his family has lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower"
	4.	people - the common people generally; "separate the warriors from the mass"; "power to the people" hoi polloi, masses, the great unwashed, multitude, mass group, grouping - any number of entities (members) considered as a unit laity, temporalty - in Christianity, members of a religious community that do not have the priestly responsibilities of ordained clergy audience - the part of the general public interested in a source of information or entertainment; "every artist needs an audience"; "the broadcast reached an audience of millions" followers, following - a group of followers or enthusiasts
Verb	1.	people - fill with people; "Stalin wanted to people the empty steppes" populate - fill with inhabitants; "populate the forest with deer and wild boar for hunting"
	2.	people - furnish with people; "The plains are sparsely populated" inhabit, live, populate, dwell - inhabit or live in; be an inhabitant of; "People lived in Africa millions of years ago"; "The people inhabited the islands that are now deserted"; "this kind of fish dwells near the bottom of the ocean"; "deer are populating the woods"

people

plural noun 1. persons, humans, individuals, folk (informal) men and women, human beings, humanity, mankind, mortals, the human race, Homo sapiens

plural noun 2. the public, the crowd, the masses, the general public, the mob, the herd, the grass roots, the rank and file, the multitude, the populace, the proletariat, the rabble, the plebs, the proles (derogatory), (slang), chiefly Brit. the commonalty, (the) hoi polloi

plural noun 3. nation, public, community, subjects, population, residents, citizens, folk, inhabitants, electors, populace, tax payers, citizenry, (general) public

plural noun 4. race, tribe, ethnic group

plural noun 5. family, parents, relations, relatives, folk, folks (informal) clan, kin, next of kin, kinsmen, nearest and dearest, kith and kin, your own flesh and blood, rellies Austral. (slang)

verb 6. inhabit, occupy, settle, populate, colonize

Translations