people

people
—peopleless, adj. —peopler, n.
/pee"peuhl/, n., pl. peoples for 4, v., peopled, peopling.
n.
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, esp. under Communist leadership): people's republic; people's army.
11. animals of a specified kind: the monkey people of the forest.
v.t.
12. to furnish with people; populate.
13. to supply or stock as if with people: a meadow peopled with flowers.
[1225-75; ME peple < AF poeple, OF pueple < L populus. See POPULAR]
Syn. 4. See race2.
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.

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(as used in expressions)
People's Republic of Bangladesh
hamlet people
People's Republic of China
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyyah
Indian People's Party
German National People's Party
German People's Party
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Malayan People's Anti Japanese Army
People's Liberation Army
South West Africa People's Organization

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Universalium. 2010.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

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