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Glite Dictionary
people's voice

people's voice

1 4.1
What most people think or want about a public issue
  • noun
translation icon : voz del pueblo
  • If the people's voice can't be heard now, it never will be regardless of who is put into office.

Examples

  • They have stripped the people's voice, and that is absolutely reprehensible!

    Blog text (8)

  • Let the people's voice be heard on this matter.

    Blog text (28)

  • Without the people's voice, the United States would not be the same great nation that it is today.

    Blog text (25)

  • And the people's voices, professor....

    The Power of One (1992)

  • Virginia has an election every year, which means the people's voice should be heard on issues of healthcare, education, civil rights, justice, jobs, and Medicare.

    Blog text (6)

  • And the tribunes now endow you with the people's voice.

    Coriolanus (2011)

  • Boehner needs to be the people's voice... defend us, tell people what Obama's agenda will do to us.

    Blog text (30)

  • Let the people's voice be heard on this important issue.

  • The people's voice is essential in shaping government policies.

  • In a democracy, the people's voice influences the outcome of elections.

Synonyms

voice
vspeople's voice
∞ 3.3

A person, group, or way that speaks for other people

is about the general population's collective will, not a single channel
consensus
vspeople's voice
309 4.1

Agreement among a group of people about an idea or decision

is the shared will even when people disagree on details
public opinion
vspeople's voice
168 2.4

The views most people in a society have about an issue

emphasizes the collective will shown in public debate or voting
popular opinion
vspeople's voice
11 2.9

A belief that most people in a group share

focuses on the collective will expressed through debate or voting
court of public opinion
vspeople's voice
  • Literature
9 4.4

The public's opinion about a person or issue formed outside a legal trial

measures the general will through discussion and formal voting processes
vox populi
vspeople's voice
1 8.9

What most people think about something

is about the wider public will expressed in debate or voting

Antonyms

minority
259 2.8

The smaller group that has fewer members or votes

elite
258 4.7

A small group of the most powerful or rich people in a society

How Representative

consensus
309 4.1
people's voice
1 4.1
minority
754 3.5
individualism
22 6.5

Surface Forms

people's voice singular
people's voices plural

Morphology

people's + voice

The meaning 'the collective opinion of the population' is directly and transparently derived from 'people's' (belonging to the people) + 'voice' (expression or opinion). This possessive noun + noun composition is common cross-linguistically and follows ordinary English semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

People's voice comes from the simple image of many people speaking together at a meeting or in a crowd, so their joined voice shows what the group thinks. That's why it now means 'the collective opinion' or 'the will of the public'.