the

[Ruifeng]

This definition is from Longman Dictionary of Dontemporary English:

The:
…
3. Used when you are about to make it clear which person or thing you mean:
She laughed at [color=red]the birthday card from Myra.

But in this sentence:

The descriptions given by [color=red]people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar.

According to the definition, why is “the” not used before “people” in the sentence above ?

Thanks

[Mister_Micawber]

The definition given in LDOCE fails to make it clear that ‘the’ is usually optional in that situation – especially with plural nouns.