consent of the governed

Cultural

A condition urged by many as a requirement for legitimate government: that the authority of a government should depend on the consent of the people, as expressed by votes in elections. (See Declaration of Independence, democracy, and John Locke.)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Representation limits this tension by claiming that acts undertaken with the consent of the governed are really their own decisions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

An emperor or king who rules not by the consent of the governed, but by divine right.

From Salon • Oct. 7, 2025

All of the procedure, the Constitution, everything really has to always go back to be checked against the idea that our government has the consent of the governed, that we are actually the sovereign.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2025

But the Freedom House report struck me as a powerful reminder that it is far preferable to live in a nation based on the consent of the governed and the rule of law.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2023

The league was predicated, in short, on the consent of the governed, without which the entire enterprise would collapse.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023