people

1 of 2

noun

peo·​ple ˈpē-pəl How to pronounce people (audio)
plural people
1
plural : human beings making up a group or assembly or linked by a common interest
2
plural : human beings, persons
often used in compounds instead of persons
salespeople
often used attributively
people skills
3
plural : the members of a family or kinship
4
plural : the mass of a community as distinguished from a special class
disputes between the people and the nobles
often used by Communists to distinguish Communists from other people
5
plural peoples : a body of persons that are united by a common culture, tradition, or sense of kinship, that typically have common language, institutions, and beliefs, and that often constitute a politically organized group
6
: lower animals usually of a specified kind or situation
7
: the body of enfranchised citizens of a state
peopleless adjective

people

2 of 2

verb

peopled; peopling ˈpē-p(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce people (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to supply or fill with people
2
: to dwell in : inhabit

Examples of people in a Sentence

Noun People can be really cruel sometimes. People think the coach should be fired. She tends to annoy people. People say it's impossible, but I'm still going to try. a book for young people a people who migrated across the Bering Strait the native peoples of Mexico Verb a science-fiction novel about a mission to people Mars
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Three people were arrested, including a 22-year-old who was suspected of leading the operation. Bradford Betz, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2024 Some people discover the world of fractional work after leaving corporate roles, while others actively plan for it. Tomoko Yokoi, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
But unlike Michelangelo, who was known for his muscular figures, Butcher peopled his chapel with his signature sprites. Penelope Green, Baltimore Sun, 1 July 2024 Costner, who also co-wrote the script (with Jon Baird and Mark Kasdan), may not have the best control of this sprawling story peopled with a giant and somewhat confusing roster of characters. Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 28 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for people 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'people.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English peple, poeple, people, borrowed from Anglo-French pople, poeple, people (continental Old French pople, pueple), going back to Latin populus "a human community, people, nation, the people (transcending the individuals composing it), the general public," going back to Italic *poplo- (whence also Umbrian poplom), of uncertain origin

Note: There is some reason to believe that that the original meaning of populus in Latin was "band of armed citizens, army"—compare the old title magister populī borne by the dictātor, a magistrate given plenary powers in times of emergency, such as an invasion; and the denominal verb populārī "to ravage, plunder." The meaning "army" has also been attributed to uses of Umbrian poplu in the Iguvine Tables. A parallel sense progression ("armed force" > "multitude, throng") is evident in English host entry 4 and its congeners. On the other hand, the sense "mass of a community, the people" is well-attested inscriptionally and in Old Latin authors such as Ennius, so that the meaning "band of soldiers," if it existed, was effectively lost at an early date. The further etymology of populus is unknown, though both Indo-European and Etruscan origins are proffered; a number of hypotheses are summarized by Margaret Watmough in Studies in the Etruscan Loanwords in Latin (Florence, 1997), pp. 69-81.

Verb

Middle English peuplien, peoplen, in part borrowed from Anglo-French popler, poepler (derivative of pople, people people entry 1), in part derivative of peple, people people entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of people was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near people

Cite this Entry

“People.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/people. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

people

1 of 2 noun
peo·​ple ˈpē-pəl How to pronounce people (audio)
plural people
1
plural : human beings, persons
often used in compounds instead of persons
salespeople
2
plural : the members of a family : kindred
3
plural : the mass of a community as distinguished from a special class
4
plural peoples : a body of persons united by a common culture, tradition, or sense of kinship, and usually language
5
: the body of voters of a state

people

2 of 2 verb
peopled; peopling ˈpē-p(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce people (audio)
1
: to supply or fill with people
2

More from Merriam-Webster on people

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