A division of things; department; sphere.
Mankind; the public.
The practises and ways of men.
Secular affairs; worldly pleasures.
I am afraid I do not know the world. – Smoke Bellew by Jack London
I do know something about the world. – The Honour of the Clintons by Archibald Marshall
What in the world do you want with this? – A Missionary Twig by Emma L. Burnett