public works
21
2.4
- noun
- /ˈpʌblɪk wɜrks/
:
obras públicas
- First up was Helen Migchelbrink, the city's public works director and city engineer.
- public works projects
- public works program
- public works department
Much of her own enormous wealth she spent on public works and charity.
- Much of her own enormous wealth she spent on public works and charity.
- And on top of all of that, the Japanese government spent hugely on public works projects like roads and bridges.
- She was bringing these new Enlightenment values for like non hierarchical big public works.
- So of an absolute ruler who is nevertheless sort of just does good things, builds public works as popular.
Examples
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For example, public works engineers ensure proper street function and traffic flow.
Academic text (2008) -
The Public Works Administration oversaw the construction of large scale public works like dams, bridges, and schools.
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It's some kind of a public works project.
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Congress could apply the same logic to other areas of policy, such as public works projects.
Academic text (2005) -
But experience shows that investment in public works tends to be local investment.
Blog text (9) -
And on top of all of that, the Japanese government spent hugely on public works projects like roads and bridges.
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Attempts to revive the economy included spending on major public works, but too little effect.
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A productive alternative to simple retrenchment would be a large public works program, which the economy could use.
Academic text (1991) -
Alongside higher defense spending, the AFL-CIO called for a thirty-five-hour week and an aggressive public works program.
Academic text (2003) -
The city invested millions in public works to improve the roads and build new parks.
Synonyms
487
3.8
Basic systems like roads, power, and buildings that let a society or business work
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'public' (for everyone) combined with 'works' (constructed projects or facilities) yields 'works for public use' i.e., infrastructure. This construction is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'obras públicas', French 'travaux publics'), so a B1 learner who knows both words will generally infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Public works joins public meaning 'for everyone' and works meaning 'building projects'. Imagine city workers building roads, schools, and fixing bridges. So, public works means the roads, schools, and other facilities the government builds and takes care of for everyone.