pub|li c|ity agent (publicity agents ) N‑COUNT A publicity agent is a person whose job is to make sure that a large number of people know about a person, show, or event so that they are successful.
pub|li|cize /pʌ bl I sa I z/ (publicizes , publicizing , publicized ) in BRIT, also use publicise VERB If you publicize a fact or event, you make it widely known to the public. □ [V n] The author appeared on television to publicize her latest book. □ [V n] He never publicized his plans. □ [V -ed] …his highly publicized trial this summer.
pu b|lic lim|it|ed co m|pa|ny (public limited companies ) N‑COUNT A public limited company is the same as a public company . The abbreviation plc is used after such companies' names. [BUSINESS ]
pu b|lic nui |sance (public nuisances ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] If something or someone is, or causes, a public nuisance , they break the law by harming or annoying members of the public. [LEGAL ] □ …the 45-day jail sentence he received for causing a public nuisance. □ He said the protesters were a public nuisance.
pu b|lic opi n|ion N‑UNCOUNT Public opinion is the opinion or attitude of the public regarding a particular matter. □ [+ against ] He mobilized public opinion all over the world against hydrogen-bomb tests.
pu b|lic pro p|er|ty
1 N‑UNCOUNT Public property is land and other assets that belong to the general public and not to a private owner. □ …vandals who wrecked public property.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If you describe a person or thing as public property , you mean that information about them is known and discussed by everyone. □ She complained that intimate aspects of her personal life had been made public property.
pu b|lic pro s|ecu|tor (public prosecutors ) N‑COUNT A public prosecutor is an official who puts people on trial on behalf of the government and people of a particular country.
pu b|lic re|la |tions
1 N‑UNCOUNT Public relations is the part of an organization's work that is concerned with obtaining the public's approval for what it does. The abbreviation PR is often used. [BUSINESS ] □ The move was good public relations. □ George is a public relations officer for The John Bennett Trust.
2 N‑PLURAL You can refer to the opinion that the public has of an organization as public relations . □ Limiting casualties is important for public relations.
pu b|lic schoo l (public schools )
1 N‑VAR In Britain, a public school is a private school that provides secondary education which parents have to pay for. The pupils often live at the school during the school term. □ He was headmaster of a public school in the West of England.
2 N‑VAR In the United States, Australia, and many other countries, a public school is a school that is supported financially by the government and usually provides free education. □ …Milwaukee's public school system.
pu b|lic se c|tor N‑SING The public sector is the part of a country's economy which is controlled or supported financially by the government. [BUSINESS ] □ To keep economic reform on track, 60,000 public-sector jobs must be cut.
pu b|lic se rv|ant (public servants ) N‑COUNT A public servant is a person who is appointed or elected to a public office, for example working for a local or state government.
pu b|lic se r|vice (public services )
1 N‑COUNT A public service is something such as health care, transport, or the removal of waste which is organized by the government or an official body in order to benefit all the people in a particular society or community. □ The money is used by local authorities to pay for public services.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] You use public service to refer to activities and jobs which are provided or paid for by a government, especially through the civil service. □ …a distinguished career in public service.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] Public service broadcasting consists of television and radio programmes supplied by an official or government organization, rather than by a commercial company. Such programmes often provide information or education, as well as entertainment.
4 N‑UNCOUNT Public service activities and types of work are concerned with helping people and providing them with what they need, rather than making a profit. □ …an egalitarian society based on cooperation and public service.
pu blic-spi rited ADJ A public-spirited person tries to help the community that they belong to. □ Thanks to a group of public-spirited citizens, the Krippendorf garden has been preserved.
pu b|lic uti l|ity (public utilities ) N‑COUNT Public utilities are services provided by the government or state, such as the supply of electricity and gas, or the train network. □ Water supplies and other public utilities were badly affected.
pu b|lic wo rks N‑PLURAL Public works are buildings, roads, and other projects that are built by the government or state for the public.
pub|lish ◆◆◇ /pʌ bl I ʃ/ (publishes , publishing , published )
1 VERB When a company publishes a book or magazine, it prints copies of it, which are sent to shops to be sold. □ [V n] They publish reference books. □ [V n] His latest book of poetry will be published by Faber in May.
2 VERB When the people in charge of a newspaper or magazine publish a piece of writing or a photograph, they print it in their newspaper or magazine. □ [V n] The ban was imposed after the magazine published an article satirising the government. □ [V ] I don't encourage people to take photographs like this without permission, but by law we can publish.
3 VERB If someone publishes a book or an article that they have written, they arrange to have it published. □ [V n] The singer found time to publish two books of his humorous prose.
4 VERB If you publish information or an opinion, you make it known to the public by having it printed in a newspaper, magazine, or official document. □ [V n] The demonstrators called on the government to publish a list of registered voters.