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people

people

8 6.0
The family and relatives of a person
  • noun
  • /ˈpipəl/
  • Informal
: mi gente
  • Catholics of the time were devoted to saintly relics, while native peoples revered the mummified remains of their ancestors.

And I hear Trump giving his speeches against people of my ancestry.

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Examples

  • I'll work to help both our peoples survive our world's death, so we may see its resurrection.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • You are my people and you have my back and my front.

  • Native title is the right of indigenous peoples to their traditional lands, waters, and territories.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Like, if you're my people, you're my people and I'm going to ride with you, OK?

  • Who would have thought that Syrians, of all peoples, would have earned the world's admiration?

    Academic text (2011)
  • Officials regard the country's indigenous peoples' ways of life as presenting a major stumbling block to capitalist economic development.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Borneo Project 1991 helps indigenous peoples regain control of and manage their ancestral lands

    Academic text (2011)
  • The Malaysian government regards the country's indigenous peoples as "backward" and in need of "modernization."

    Academic text (2011)
  • A large number of separately named, non-Malay, predominantly non-Muslim indigenous peoples live in Sabah and Sarawak.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Family means everything to me; my people have always supported me through tough times.

Synonyms

family
vspeople
∞ 1.0

All the people who are related to you by birth, marriage, or adoption

is informal and highlights ancestral background over legal ties
folk
vspeople
224 1.0

A group of people who share the same culture or background

is informal and means family background rather than broad community identity
kin
vspeople
122 2.6

People who are related by blood or marriage

is informal and can refer to ancestral line more broadly
ancestry
vspeople
52 4.1

The family you come from over many generations

is informal and names background rather than scientific genetic descent
lineage
vspeople
45 5.5

A list of family members who came before you

is informal and speaks of background in everyday terms rather than strict descent
family line
vspeople
7 3.2

A group of people who are related by birth over many generations

is informal and describes ancestral background rather than recorded descent
kinspeople
vspeople
1 6.2

People in your family by blood or marriage

is informal and focuses on ancestral background rather than exact relation

Idioms

of all people
  • Informal
136 8.0

To show surprise that one person, more than anyone else, did something unexpected

To try to please everyone and end up pleasing no one

Compounds

333 2.9

People with light skin, often from Europe, who many see as a racial group

173 1.0

People who have little money and few things

140 1.0

People who have a lot of money and property

75 3.6

People who are not white, for example Black, Asian, or Indigenous

People who run, manage, or own companies

20 1.3

People who are not rich or powerful

People who live in Great Britain or whose family comes from there

16 1.0

People who are citizens of France

15 3.7

A person who likes meeting and talking with other people

A group of people who have authority to make decisions

chosen people
  • Literature
11 7.5

A group of people who believe God selected them for a special purpose

People without a job who are looking for work

People who live in or come from England and share its culture

7 1.0

People who live in Ireland or have family from Ireland

People who live in villages or on farms

People from Spain who have the same nationality and culture

3 2.1

People from the Netherlands who share the same language and culture

People who speak languages like Russian, Polish or Bulgarian, mainly in Eastern Europe and the Balkans

1 1.6

People who live in Switzerland

flower people
  • Archaic
1 8.6

People from the 1960s who believed in peace, love, and living together

1 9.9

A hurtful phrase that says Black people are often late

A South African group formed in 1996 to fight gangs and drugs, later accused of violent acts and extremism

Surface Forms

people singular
peoples plural

Etymology

People in the sense of 'your family or relatives' comes from the old Latin word populus, which meant 'the people' or a group, and entered English long ago. You can see the same root in population, so calling someone 'my people' points to your family or close group.