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

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