peoples

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of people.

   The indigenous peoples of the region have distinct languages and traditions.

   Many peoples have settled along this river over the centuries.

   Note

   When people means a whole nation, ethnic group or class, it becomes an ordinary count noun with an ordinary plural. A room holds people, which is simply the plural of person. A region can hold several peoples, each a distinct community with its own language and traditions. The -s marks that shift from individuals to groups: the peoples of Africa, indigenous peoples, the peoples of the river valley.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of people.

   The novelist peoples her fiction with sharply drawn minor characters.

   Each chapter peoples the town with new arrivals.

   Note

   The verb form used after he, she or it is spelled exactly like the plural of nations, so only the sentence shows which is meant: the peoples of Europe, but a novelist peoples her fiction. As a verb it usually takes an object and likes with, as in a writer peoples a story with characters. An intransitive use, meaning to become populous, also exists: a frontier that peoples quickly.

3. 3
   nounnonstandard

   Plural of person. Nonstandard slang, used mainly for one's family or close friends.

   She rolled up to the function with all her peoples.

   My peoples have always had my back when times got hard.

   Note

   A vernacular plural heard chiefly in African-American Vernacular English. It stands in for people and often comes with a possessive: my peoples are one's own crew, kin or associates. U-God's Raw (2018) speaks of Park Hill peoples, meaning the folks from one neighborhood. Unlike the plural of nations, it counts individuals, not groups. It is nonstandard, so in formal writing people is the safe choice.

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