public: Meaning and Definition of

pub•lic

Pronunciation: (pub'lik), [key]
— adj.
  1. of, pertaining to, or affecting a population or a community as a whole: public funds; a public nuisance.
  2. done, made, acting, etc., for the community as a whole: public prosecution.
  3. open to all persons: a public meeting.
  4. of, pertaining to, or being in the service of a community or nation, esp. as a government officer: a public official.
  5. maintained at the public expense and under public control: a public library; a public road.
  6. generally known: The fact became public.
  7. familiar to the public; prominent: public figures.
  8. open to the view of all; existing or conducted in public: a public dispute.
  9. pertaining or devoted to the welfare or well-being of the community: public spirit.
  10. of or pertaining to all humankind; universal.
  11. The Senator threatened to go public with his Congressional-reform plan.
    1. to issue stock for sale to the general public.
    2. to present private or previously concealed information, news, etc., to the public; make matters open to public view:The Senator threatened to go public with his Congressional-reform plan.
  12. to cause to become known generally, as through the news media: Her resignation was made public this morning.
—n.
  1. the people constituting a community, state, or nation.
  2. a particular group of people with a common interest, aim, etc.: the book-buying public.
  3. a tavern; public house.
  4. not in private; in a situation open to public view or access; publicly: It was the first time that she had sung in public.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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