# the masses

idiom · CEFR B2

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/the-masses
Updated: 2026-07-27

## Meaning

Ordinary people thought of as one large group, especially in contrast to the powerful or the elite. It can sound slightly grand or disapproving. "The phone was cheap enough for the masses."

## Examples

- The new phone was priced for the masses.
- The politician's simple slogans were designed to appeal to the masses rather than to experts.
- Streaming platforms promised culture for the masses, then quietly used what the masses watched to decide which stories would ever be told again.

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