4 ADJ [ADJ n] Public means relating to the government or state, or things that are done for the people by the state. □ The social services account for a substantial part of public spending. ● pub|lic|ly ADV [ADV -ed] □ …publicly funded legal services.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] Public buildings and services are provided for everyone to use. □ The new museum must be accessible by public transport. □ …a public health service available to all.
6 ADJ A public place is one where people can go about freely and where you can easily be seen and heard. □ …the heavily congested public areas of international airports. □ I avoid working in places which are too public.
7 ADJ [ADJ n] If someone is a public figure or in public life , many people know who they are because they are often mentioned in newspapers and on television. □ I'd like to see more women in public life, especially Parliament.
8 ADJ [ADJ n] Public is used to describe statements, actions, and events that are made or done in such a way that any member of the public can see them or be aware of them. □ The National Heritage Committee has conducted a public inquiry to find the answer. □ The comments were the ministry's first detailed public statement on the subject. ● pub|lic|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □ He never spoke publicly about the affair.
9 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If a fact is made public or becomes public , it becomes known to everyone rather than being kept secret. □ His will, made public yesterday, showed that he had amassed an estate with a net worth of £1,980,133.
10 PHRASE If someone is in the public eye , many people know who they are, because they are famous or because they are often mentioned on television or in the newspapers. □ One expects people in the public eye to conduct their personal lives with a certain decorum.
11 PHRASE If a company goes public , it starts selling its shares on the stock exchange. [BUSINESS ] □ The company went public, having achieved an average annual profit of more than £50,000.
12 PHRASE If you say or do something in public , you say or do it when a group of people are present. □ Many people are nervous about speaking in public.
13 to wash your dirty linen in public → see dirty COLLOCATIONS public NOUN 1
adjective + public : general, wider; gullible, sceptical
verb + public : convince, reassure, urge, warn; educate, entertain, inform, mislead; protect, serve SYNONYMS public NOUN 1
people: Millions of people have lost their homes.
society: This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.
population: Bangladesh now has a population of about 110 million.
pu b|lic ad|dre ss sys|tem (public address systems ) N‑COUNT A public address system is a set of electrical equipment which allows someone's voice, or music, to be heard throughout a large building or area. The abbreviation PA is also used.
pub|li|can /pʌ bl I kən/ (publicans ) N‑COUNT A publican is a person who owns or manages a pub. [BRIT , FORMAL ]
pub|li|ca|tion ◆◇◇ /pʌ bl I ke I ʃ ə n/ (publications )
1 N‑UNCOUNT The publication of a book or magazine is the act of printing it and sending it to shops to be sold. □ The guide is being translated into several languages for publication at the end of the year. □ [+ of ] The publication of his collected poems was approaching the status of an event.
2 N‑COUNT A publication is a book or magazine that has been published. □ They have started legal proceedings against two publications which spoke of an affair.
3 N‑UNCOUNT The publication of something such as information is the act of making it known to the public, for example by informing journalists or by publishing a government document. □ [+ of ] A spokesman said: 'We have no comment regarding the publication of these photographs.'
pu b|lic ba r (public bars ) N‑COUNT In a British pub, a public bar is a room where the furniture is plain and the drinks are cheaper than in the pub's other bars.
pu b|lic co m|pa|ny (public companies ) N‑COUNT A public company is a company whose shares can be bought by the general public. [BUSINESS ]
pu b|lic con|ve ni|ence (public conveniences ) N‑COUNT A public convenience is a toilet in a public place for everyone to use. [BRIT , FORMAL ]
pu b|lic de|fe nd|er (public defenders ) N‑COUNT A public defender is a lawyer who is employed by a city or county to represent people who are accused of crimes but cannot afford to pay for a lawyer themselves. [AM ]
pu b|lic do|mai n N‑SING If information is in the public domain , it is not secret and can be used or discussed by anyone. □ It is outrageous that the figures are not in the public domain.
pu b|lic hou se (public houses ) N‑COUNT A public house is the same as a pub . [BRIT , FORMAL ]
pub|li|cise /pʌ bl I sa I z/ → see publicize
pub|li|cist /pʌ bl I s I st/ (publicists ) N‑COUNT A publicist is a person whose job involves getting publicity for people, events, or things such as films or books.
pub|lic|ity ◆◇◇ /pʌbl I s I ti/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Publicity is information or actions that are intended to attract the public's attention to someone or something. □ Much advance publicity was given to the talks. □ It was all a publicity stunt.
2 N‑UNCOUNT When the news media and the public show a lot of interest in something, you can say that it is receiving publicity . □ The case has generated enormous publicity in Brazil. □ …the renewed publicity over the Casey affair.