Definition of PEOPLE

people

Plural: peoples

Noun

  • (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
    • "old people"
    • "there were at least 200 people in the audience"
  • the body of citizens of a state or country
    • "the Spanish people"
  • members of a family line
    • "his people have been farmers for generations"
    • "are your people still alive?"
  • the common people generally
    • "power to the people"
  • plural of person: a body of persons considered generally or collectively; a group of two or more persons.
  • Persons forming or belonging to a particular group, such as a nation, class, ethnic group, country, family, etc.
  • A group of persons regarded as being servants, followers, companions or subjects of a ruler or leader.
  • One's colleagues or employees.
  • A person's ancestors, relatives or family.
  • The mass of a community as distinguished from a special class (elite); the commonalty; the populace; the vulgar; the common crowd; the citizens.
  • People in general, humans, by extension sentient beings real or fictional.

Verb

Verb Forms: peopled, peopling, peoples

  • To inhabit or furnish with inhabitants.
  • fill with people
    • "Stalin wanted to people the empty steppes"
  • furnish with people
  • To stock with people or inhabitants; to fill as with people; to populate.
  • To become populous or populated.
  • To inhabit; to occupy; to populate.
  • To interact with people; to socialize.

Examples

  • a people apart
  • an industrious people
  • Good players can PEOPLE the board with high-scoring words, leaving opponents few options.
  • His people live out west.
  • his people were weary
  • I have my people working on it.
  • I'll have my people call your people.
  • Moses said, "Let my people go."
  • My people lived through the Black Plague and the Thirty Years War.
  • People don't like it when you tweak their noses.
  • Teachers are people too.
  • The election is over and the people have spoken.
  • the indigenous peoples of Europe
  • the native peoples of Borneo
  • The people have successfully stood up against tyranny and totalitarianism.
  • The people won't tolerate so much corruption any more!
  • There were so many people at the restaurant last night.
  • These six people are waiting for the bus.
  • Under dictatorship, people suffered and died.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English puple, peple, peeple, from Anglo-Norman people, from Old French pueple, peuple, pople, from Latin populus (“a people, nation”), from Old Latin populus, from earlier poplus, from even earlier poplos, from Proto-Italic *poplos (“army”) of unknown origin. Doublet of pueblo. Gradually ousted native English lede and, partially, folk.
Originally used with singular verbs (e.g. "the people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness" in the King James Version of 2 Samuel 17:29), the plural aspect of people is probably due to influence from Middle English lede, leed, a plural since Old English times; see lēode.

Scrabble Score: 10

people: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
people: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
people: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

people: valid Words With Friends Word