people 1 of 2

plural noun

ˈpē-pəl How to pronounce people (audio)
Definition of peoplenext
1
as in world
human beings in general despite the horrors she witnessed, Anne Frank never lost her faith in people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in populace
the body of the community as contrasted with the elite tensions mounted until the people rose up in rebellion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in family
a group of persons who come from the same ancestor introduced my new boyfriend to my people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

people

2 of 2

verb

as in to inhabit
to supply with inhabitants a science-fiction novel about a mission to people Mars

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of people
Plural noun
More than half of people using AI at work worried that using it on important tasks would create exactly that impression. — Christoph Trattner, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026 In addition to the four deaths in the apartment building in Kharkiv, 41 people were wounded in the city in one evening alone, Zelenskyy said. — Hanna Arhirova, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
The characters who people the novel rise to speak for themselves. — Literary Hub, 16 Apr. 2026 The paradox of this quartet of movies up for the new casting Oscar, all boldly peopled with nonprofessionals, is that this very practice has become professionalized. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for people
Recent Examples of Synonyms for people
  1. inhabit
  2. populate
Verb
  • The land the tribe inhabited before being evicted is now divided among ranchers, government agencies and a conservation nonprofit.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The footprints suggest humans may have inhabited North America earlier than the timeline supported by currently available genetic evidence.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of inhabit
Verb
  • The area is sparsely populated with private estates set atop hills or within canyons, making firefighting access difficult.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • With a backbone laid out, the process next moved to ProteinMPNN, a tool that works along the backbone, populating it with specific amino acids.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of populate

Browse Nearby Words

peons
people
peopled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“People.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/people. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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