public service

SEE SYNONYMS FOR public service ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the business of supplying an essential commodity, as gas or electricity, or a service, as transportation, to the general public.
government employment; civil service.
a service to the public rendered without charge by a profit-making organization: This radio program has been brought to you as a public service.

Origin of public service

First recorded in 1560–70

Words nearby public service

public room, public sale, public school, public sector, public servant, public service, public speaking, public spending, public statute, public television, public transport

Words related to public service

works

Example sentences from the Web for public service

British Dictionary definitions for public service

public service

noun

  1. government employment
  2. the management and administration of the affairs of a political unit, esp the civil service
  1. a service provided for the communitybuses provide a public service
  2. (as modifier)a public-service announcement
Australian and NZ the service responsible for the public administration of the government of a country. It excludes the legislative, judicial, and military branches. Members of the public service have no official political allegiance and are not generally affected by changes of governments British equivalent: civil service