WordWeb Online

1. Affecting the people or community as a whole
   "the public welfare"; "Public interests"; "Public leaders"
    
2. Not private; open to or concerning the people as a whole
   "the public good"; "public libraries"; "public funds"; "public parks"; "a public scandal"; "public gardens"; "performers and members of royal families are public figures"
    
3. Funded or provided by the government rather than the private sector

1. People in general considered as a whole
   "he is a hero in the eyes of the public";
   - populace, world
    
2. A body of people sharing some common interest
   "the reading public"

Derived forms: publics

See also: common, exoteric, in the public eye, national, open, overt, semipublic, state-supported, unexclusive, unrestricted

Type of: body, people

Antonym: private

Encyclopedia: Public, Saint Barthélemy