republic

American  

[ri-puhb-lik] / rɪˈpʌb lɪk /

noun

• republics
  plural

1. a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.

2. any body of persons viewed as a commonwealth.

3. a state in which the head of government is not a monarch or other hereditary head of state.

4. (initial capital letter) any of the five periods of republican government in France.

5. (initial capital letter, italics) a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) by Plato dealing with the composition and structure of the ideal state.

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republic British  

/ rɪˈpʌblɪk /

noun

1. a form of government in which the people or their elected representatives possess the supreme power

2. a political or national unit possessing such a form of government

3. a constitutional form in which the head of state is an elected or nominated president

4. any community or group that resembles a political republic in that its members or elements exhibit a general equality, shared interests, etc

   the republic of letters

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republic Cultural  

1. A form of government in which power is explicitly vested in the people, who in turn exercise their power through elected representatives. Today, the terms republic and democracy are virtually interchangeable, but historically the two differed. Democracy implied direct rule by the people, all of whom were equal, whereas republic implied a system of government in which the will of the people was mediated by representatives, who might be wiser and better educated than the average person. In the early American republic, for example, the requirement that voters own property and the establishment of institutions such as the Electoral College were intended to cushion the government from the direct expression of the popular will.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• semirepublic
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• republics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of republic

First recorded in 1595–1605; from French république, Middle French, from Latin rēs pūblica, equivalent to rēs “thing, entity” ( cf. rebus ( def. )) + pūblica public

Explanation

If you live in a republic, then you live in a country with a leader freely and democratically elected by the people, as opposed to a dictatorship or monarchy. Ancient Rome, before it started declining and falling all over the place, was a republic, and so is the United States. Republics have what are termed "republican" forms of government — not to be confused with Republican-with-a-big-R, as in the American political party. If you live in a "Banana Republic" you probably live in a tiny Caribbean island run by a dictator. Or you're spending too much time at the mall.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

republic republics

Pope Leo XIV will travel to the tiny republic of San Marino on Saturday before attending a cultural and political event organised by an influential Catholic group at an Italian seaside resort.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

“The very premise of a free republic is that you are going to have differences in views,” Latner said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

The dissolution of the republic is covered hastily; the clash between Caesar and Pompey gets three short sentences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

The lone exception to the rule is Botswana, a democratic republic that has traditionally featured the sitting president’s portrait on its 10 pula banknote denomination.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

This does not mean that the political history of the early republic can be understood as a polite forensic exercise conducted by a marvelously well-behaved collection of demigods.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

At Constantinople, every government decision involved negotiations with the representatives of the great Italian maritime republics, Venice and Genoa, who dominated the city’s economic life and enjoyed extensive legal privileges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

The spreadsheet shows that Suozzi shared his table with four guests invited by Doug Burleigh, a longtime Fellowship leader focused on Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet republics.

From Salon ● May 29, 2026

The five Central Asian former Soviet republics -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan -- became independent with the collapse of the Soviet Union 35 years ago.

From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026

Most Spanish American republics had ended slavery or implemented gradual emancipation measures as early as 1811, with final abolition in place by the mid-1850s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2026

Many writers have imagined republics and principalities that have never been seen nor known to exist in reality.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli