Definitions
01more than one person
A1 · Beginner Plural noun
n. the plural of 'person'; you use this to talk about a group of humans.
n. the standard plural of 'person' used to refer to a body of individuals collectively.
日本語:人々※
“There were so many people at the concert that we couldn't see the stage.”
“The survey indicates that most people prefer working from home at least two days a week to improve their work-life balance.”
Usage
functions as the plural of 'person' but takes a plural verb.
Pitfall
There were many persons at the park.
There were many people at the park.
While 'persons' is grammatically correct, it is very formal and mostly used in legal contexts. Use 'people' for everyday situations.
Synonyms
02a nation or ethnic group
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. a group of people who belong to the same country, race, or culture.
n. a body of persons sharing a common religion, culture, language, or inherited condition of life.
日本語:民族※
“The indigenous people of this region have lived here for thousands of years.”
“The museum's latest exhibition explores the history and traditions of the various peoples of the Amazon basin.”
Usage
In this sense, 'people' is a countable singular noun and can be pluralised as 'peoples'.
Synonyms
03family or relatives
B1 · Intermediate Plural noun Informal
n. your family members or the people you come from.
n. one's ancestors, relatives, or immediate family members.
“I am going back to my hometown to spend the holidays with my people.”
“He felt a strong urge to visit the village where his people had lived before emigrating in the late nineteenth century.”
04the general public
B2 · Upper Intermediate Plural noun
n. the ordinary citizens of a country, rather than the leaders or the rich.
n. the mass of a community as distinguished from a special class or elite.
“The politician claimed to represent the will of the people.”
“The revolution was driven by the people's desire for greater economic equality and political representation.”
Antonyms
05to populate an area
C1 · Advanced Literary
v. to fill a place with people or characters.
v. to stock with inhabitants or to occupy a space; often used in the context of fiction or history.
Español:poblar con
“The author likes to people her books with strange and interesting characters.”
“The valley was once peopled by a thriving community of farmers before the industrial revolution drew them to the cities.”
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “people” in context.
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.
From Middle English peplen, peuplien, partly from Middle French peupler (from peuple (“people”)) and partly from the noun (etymology 1).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Idioms
For Mandarin speakers
False friend 人家 (rénjia) means “other people; others; or a third-person pronoun used for oneself” — While 'people' is a neutral plural for humans, '人家 (rénjia)' carries specific pragmatic tones in Mandarin, such as a playful or indirect way to refer to oneself, which is never captured by the English word.
Grammar Mandarin does not distinguish between singular and plural nouns via inflection, leading learners to mistakenly treat 'people' as a singular noun (e.g., 'people is') or to add a plural suffix resulting in 'peoples' for a group of individuals.
Collocations The Mandarin phrase '很多人 (hěn duō rén)' is frequently used where English prefers 'many people'. Because 'many' feels more formal to Mandarin learners, they over-rely on 'a lot of people' or literal translations of 'very many people' in academic contexts.
For Japanese speakers
Grammar Japanese marks plurality through context or optional suffixes like ~たち (~tachi), and does not have a distinct plural noun for 'person'. Learners may transfer this by using the singular 'person' or the non-standard 'persons' where the collective noun 'people' is required.
Collocations Japanese uses the verb 多い (ōi) as a predicative adjective meaning 'are many'. This often leads learners to say 'People are many' or 'Many people' as a standalone sentence rather than using the existential 'There are many people'.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/people
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「日本語」「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0