pop ‧ u ‧ lace /ˈpɒpjələs, ˈpɒpjʊləs $ ˈpɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [ singular also + plural verb British English ] formal
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: Italian popolaccio 'crowd' , from popolo 'people' ]
the people who live in a country:
the effects of the war on the local populace
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THESAURUS
▪ people people in general:
Most people know that smoking causes lung cancer.
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People are the same everywhere.
▪ folk informal people:
Louisa's parents were country folk and believed very much in herbal remedies.
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They looked like two ordinary folk.
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There are still folk around here who remember the old days.
▪ the public ordinary people, not people who belong to the government or are members of a particular company or organization:
This information should be made available to the public.
▪ population all the people who live in a particular area:
The majority of the population were farmers.
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The city has a population of 11 million.
▪ the human race all the people in the world, considered as a group:
the origins of the human race
▪ mankind ( also humankind ) people in general – used especially when talking about their history or development, or how something affects their existence. Some people think that the word mankind seems to make women seem unimportant, and prefer to use humankind instead:
Travelling into space was a great advance for mankind.
▪ populace formal the people who live in a country – a very formal use:
It is a country where 80% of the populace live in poverty.