people

[pee-puhl]

noun

plural

peoples 

1. persons indefinitely or collectively; persons in general.

   to find it easy to talk to people; What will people think?

2. persons, whether men, women, or children, considered as numerable individuals forming a group.

   Twenty people volunteered to help.

3. human beings, as distinguished from animals or other beings.

4. the entire body of persons who constitute a community, tribe, nation, or other group by virtue of a common culture, history, religion, or the like.

   the people of Australia; the Jewish people.

5. the persons of any particular group, company, or number (sometimes used in combination).

   the people of a parish; educated people; salespeople.

6. the ordinary persons, as distinguished from those who have wealth, rank, influence, etc..

   a man of the people.

7. the subjects, followers, or subordinates of a ruler, leader, employer, etc..

   the king and his people.

8. the body of enfranchised citizens of a state.

   representatives chosen by the people.

9. a person's family or relatives.

   My grandmother's people came from Iowa.

10. (used in the possessive in Communist or left-wing countries to indicate that an institution operates under the control of or for the benefit of the people, especially under Communist leadership).

    people's republic; people's army.

11. animals of a specified kind.

    the monkey people of the forest.

verb (used with object)

peopled, peopling 

1. to furnish with people; populate.

2. to supply or stock as if with people.

   a meadow peopled with flowers.

people

/ ˈpiːpəl /

noun

1. persons collectively or in general

2. a group of persons considered together

   blind people

3. the persons living in a country and sharing the same nationality

   the French people

4. one's family

   he took her home to meet his people

5. persons loyal to someone powerful

   the king's people accompanied him in exile

6. 1. the mass of persons without special distinction, privileges, etc

   2. the body of persons in a country, esp those entitled to vote

verb

1. (tr) to provide with or as if with people or inhabitants

Usage

People is usually followed by a plural verb and referred to by a plural pronoun: People are always looking for a bargain. The people have made their choice. The possessive is formed regularly, with the apostrophe before the -s: people's desire for a bargain; the people's choice. When people means “the entire body of persons who constitute a community or other group by virtue of a common culture, history, etc.,” it is used as a singular, with the plural peoples : This people shares characteristics with certain inhabitants of central Asia. The aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere speak many different languages. The formation of the possessive is regular; the singular is people's and the plural is peoples '. At one time, some usage guides maintained that people could not be preceded by a number, as in Fewer than 30 people showed up. This use is now unquestionably standard in all contexts.

Grammar Note

Is the plural persons or people? See person.

Other Word Forms

• peopleless adjective
• peopler noun
• outpeople verb (used with object)
• underpeopled adjective
• well-peopled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of people¹

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English peple, from Anglo-French poeple, Old French pueple, from Latin populus; popular

Word History and Origins

Origin of people¹

C13: from Old French pople, from Latin populus; see _populace

Idioms and Phrases

• tell (people) apart

Synonym Study

See race ².

Example Sentences

“We came up with the concept of going and doing a bunch of shows in cities just before them to get people even more fired up, if that’s even possible.”

From Los Angeles Times

“I always wanted to write something where people could see themselves because I didn’t have that in books,” Revord told Publisher’s Weekly.

From Los Angeles Times

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Sudan's civil war and forced some 13 million to flee their homes.

From BBC

“No community should turn its back on its residents in need — especially while there are people in your community sleeping on the streets.”

From Los Angeles Times

“They’ll redact every Republican or conservative person in those files, leave all the liberal, Democratic people in those files,” Schnitt predicted, claiming the would-be report “very slanted.”

From Salon

Related Words

• community 
• crowd 
• family 
• folk 
• nation 
• population 
• public 
• society 

When To Use

Spelling tips for people

The word people is hard to spell because, based on how it’s pronounced, you wouldn’t expect that o to be there. How to spell people: First, remember that it’s not spelled peeple, even though it sounds like it should be. Next, remember that it has an o in it. Then remember that the letters op when placed together look like the two eyes and a nose on a person’s face, looking out at you from the middle of the word (see it now?!).