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 attributivelypeople 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
peopled; peopling
ˈpē-p(ə-)liŋ 
Synonyms
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
George Ramsay, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Last week, Mejia blasted out the news that 900 homeless people died in L.A. last year, issuing numbers that showed a decrease compared with 2022.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The classification means that many people have almost no food, bringing about starvation and death.
—Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
While there is no single best age to start using anti-aging skincare ingredients, most people should begin an anti-aging skincare regimen at the age of 20.
—Leslie Baumann, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
At Cannes Porter plans on getting to know more people working within the international docu market.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
The unemployment rate fell last month even though a sizable 469,000 people entered the labor force looking for work.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 6 Apr. 2024
Preliminary results from a new study show that people who ate 12 or more fortified eggs a week had cholesterol levels similar to those who didn't eat eggs.
—Francisco J. Rivera Rosario, Health, 6 Apr. 2024
The four people were reportedly acting in support of ISIS-K.
American and other Western counterterrorism officials say these plots were organized by low-level operatives who were detected and thwarted relatively quickly.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Feb. 2024
Knitting together so many divergent themes, Troll Knoll has its own mythology, peopled by Morris with Far Western Rinkydinks and Wackerbacks.
—Debbie Arrington, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
Instead of Iron Man or the Hulk, Bonelli’s back catalog features tales peopled with human characters.
—Boris Sollazzo, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Dec. 2023
For all their opacity, Whistler’s street scenes are alive, peopled with crowds at a bazaar or peering in windows.
—Angelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2023
Mongolia, in the international cinematic imagination, tends to be largely defined by the rugged lyricism of its rural landscapes, peopled by grizzled nomads and eagle hunters, and of course, celebrated as the birthplace of conquering warlord Genghis Khan.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2023
Under existing rules, the country that people first land in must take responsibility for them.
—Lorne Cook, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Apr. 2023
Her narrative is peopled with physicians and psychologists heartlessly and casually breaching their professional responsibilities.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2023
One is peopled by characters who know about Peggy Jo and her exploits, including a waitress who knew Peggy Jo as a regular.
—Chris Vognar, Chron, 1 Mar. 2023
Noun
The world's hardest ultramarathon 1 of 9 This unique combination of factors makes the Barkley such a challenging prospect, and this year, thanks partly to good weather conditions, a record five people completed all five of the 20-odd-mile loops.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Last week, Mejia blasted out the news that 900 homeless people died in L.A. last year, issuing numbers that showed a decrease compared with 2022.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The classification means that many people have almost no food, bringing about starvation and death.
—Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
While there is no single best age to start using anti-aging skincare ingredients, most people should begin an anti-aging skincare regimen at the age of 20.
—Leslie Baumann, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
At Cannes Porter plans on getting to know more people working within the international docu market.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
The unemployment rate fell last month even though a sizable 469,000 people entered the labor force looking for work.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 6 Apr. 2024
Preliminary results from a new study show that people who ate 12 or more fortified eggs a week had cholesterol levels similar to those who didn't eat eggs.
—Francisco J. Rivera Rosario, Health, 6 Apr. 2024
The four people were reportedly acting in support of ISIS-K.
American and other Western counterterrorism officials say these plots were organized by low-level operatives who were detected and thwarted relatively quickly.
—Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
Artist Paul Deo’s work is peopled with a galaxy of Black stars –limitless luminaries in politics, entertainment, and resistance.
—Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Feb. 2024
Knitting together so many divergent themes, Troll Knoll has its own mythology, peopled by Morris with Far Western Rinkydinks and Wackerbacks.
—Debbie Arrington, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
Instead of Iron Man or the Hulk, Bonelli’s back catalog features tales peopled with human characters.
—Boris Sollazzo, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Dec. 2023
For all their opacity, Whistler’s street scenes are alive, peopled with crowds at a bazaar or peering in windows.
—Angelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2023
Mongolia, in the international cinematic imagination, tends to be largely defined by the rugged lyricism of its rural landscapes, peopled by grizzled nomads and eagle hunters, and of course, celebrated as the birthplace of conquering warlord Genghis Khan.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2023
Under existing rules, the country that people first land in must take responsibility for them.
—Lorne Cook, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Apr. 2023
Her narrative is peopled with physicians and psychologists heartlessly and casually breaching their professional responsibilities.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2023
One is peopled by characters who know about Peggy Jo and her exploits, including a waitress who knew Peggy Jo as a regular.
—Chris Vognar, Chron, 1 Mar. 2023
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.
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Cite this Entry
“People.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/people. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
people
1 of 2 noun
peo·ple
ˈpē-pəl
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
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