public

Available to or intended for everyone in a community.

• This is a public beach.
• The town needs more public spaces.
• Is there a public library nearby?

Similar words: communal

Opposites: private

Common phrases: public place, public park, public transport, public library

Run, paid for, or carried out by the state for the community.

• She works in the public sector.
• Public money paid for the new bridge.
• The city built more public housing.

Similar words: government, state

Opposites: private

Common phrases: public housing, public sector, public money

Ordinary people considered together, especially the people of a country or community.

• The public needs clear information.
• The museum opens to the public tomorrow.
• The reading public welcomed her new book.

How to use it: the public (The public has a right to know.)

Similar words: people, population

Common phrases: the general public, members of the public, the reading public