government
the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.; political administration: Government is necessary to the existence of civilized society.
the form or system of rule by which a state, community, etc., is governed: monarchical government; episcopal government.
the governing body of persons in a state, community, etc.; administration.
a branch or service of the supreme authority of a state or nation, taken as representing the whole: a dam built by the government.
(in some parliamentary systems, as that of the United Kingdom)
the particular group of persons forming the cabinet at any given time: The prime minister has formed a new government.
the parliament along with the cabinet: The government has fallen.
direction; control; management; rule: the government of one's conduct.
a district governed; province.
Grammar. the extablished usage that requires that one word in a sentence should cause another to be of a particular form: the government of the verb by its subject.
Origin of government
1Grammar notes for government
pronunciation note For government
Other words from government
- gov·ern·men·tal [guhv-ern-men-tl, ‐er-men‐], /ˌgʌv ərnˈmɛn tl, ‐ərˈmɛn‐/, adjective
- gov·ern·men·tal·ly, adverb
- coun·ter·gov·ern·ment, noun
- non·gov·ern·ment, noun
- non·gov·ern·men·tal, adjective
- pro-gov·ern·ment, adjective
- re·gov·ern·ment, noun
- sem·i·gov·ern·men·tal, adjective
- sem·i·gov·ern·men·tal·ly, adverb
- sub·gov·ern·ment, noun
- un·der·gov·ern·ment, noun
- un·gov·ern·men·tal, adjective
- un·gov·ern·men·tal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for government
/ (ˈɡʌvənmənt, ˈɡʌvəmənt) /
the exercise of political authority over the actions, affairs, etc, of a political unit, people, etc, as well as the performance of certain functions for this unit or body; the action of governing; political rule and administration
the system or form by which a community, etc, is ruled: tyrannical government
the executive policy-making body of a political unit, community, etc; ministry or administration: yesterday we got a new government
(capital when of a specific country): the British Government
the state and its administration: blame it on the government
(as modifier): a government agency
regulation; direction
grammar the determination of the form of one word by another word
Derived forms of government
- governmental (ˌɡʌvənˈmɛntəl, ˌɡʌvəˈmɛntəl), adjective
- governmentally, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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