: the ordinary people in a country who do not have special power or privileges
She is well-liked as a senator because she listens to the people.
the common people
US, law
—used to refer to the government of the U.S. or of a particular state in the name of a legal case
The People vs. John Doe
Examples of the people in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 13 May 2024
After the goal, his third of the season, Pec lifted the bottom of his jersey to show a message on his white undershirt that dedicated the goal to the people of Rio Grande do Sul, his home state in southern Brazil, which has been devastated by recent floods.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2024
Biden and his staff spent recent weeks finalizing the measures, including which items to hit and which to avoid because the inputs are needed to fuel American growth, one of the people said.
—Josh Wingrove, Fortune, 12 May 2024
Despite his campus reputation, Woodward, then 13, was one of the people who reached out to him, Morris said, leading to online communications that continued off and on for around three years.
—Sean Emery, Orange County Register, 12 May 2024
Information about what caused the accident, the ages of the people involved or their current medical conditions was not available Saturday.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 11 May 2024
The cloud forecast for Saturday night is generally good for most of America, but some of the people who missed their chance last night due to clouds may have a similar problem Saturday, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 11 May 2024
An announcement is scheduled for Tuesday, two of the people said.
—Josh Wingrove, Fortune Asia, 10 May 2024
This week some of the people involved in the deployment, including a security official from Jamaica, which is in charge of the Caribbean contingent, attended discussions in Washington, D.C. about the first phase.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024
Noun
The outlet stated some of the people involved in the incident attended Maranatha High School.
—Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 13 May 2024
After the goal, his third of the season, Pec lifted the bottom of his jersey to show a message on his white undershirt that dedicated the goal to the people of Rio Grande do Sul, his home state in southern Brazil, which has been devastated by recent floods.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2024
Biden and his staff spent recent weeks finalizing the measures, including which items to hit and which to avoid because the inputs are needed to fuel American growth, one of the people said.
—Josh Wingrove, Fortune, 12 May 2024
Despite his campus reputation, Woodward, then 13, was one of the people who reached out to him, Morris said, leading to online communications that continued off and on for around three years.
—Sean Emery, Orange County Register, 12 May 2024
Information about what caused the accident, the ages of the people involved or their current medical conditions was not available Saturday.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 11 May 2024
The cloud forecast for Saturday night is generally good for most of America, but some of the people who missed their chance last night due to clouds may have a similar problem Saturday, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tom Kines.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 11 May 2024
An announcement is scheduled for Tuesday, two of the people said.
—Josh Wingrove, Fortune Asia, 10 May 2024
This week some of the people involved in the deployment, including a security official from Jamaica, which is in charge of the Caribbean contingent, attended discussions in Washington, D.C. about the first phase.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the people.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the people
Cite this Entry
“The people.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20people. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share