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

Our task in 2026 isn’t simply to look back, but to pass these values to the next generation for the next 250 years, ensuring this republic endures for both the living and the dead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Khamenei's funeral ceremonies included a series of locations that reflect the religious, political and ideological pillars of the Islamic republic.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

The elder Khamenei ruled the Islamic republic from 1989 until his death in February.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

San Marino, a tiny republic surrounded on all sides by Italy, still uses governing documents that date back to the 1600s.

From Slate ● Jul. 4, 2026

The pro-republic sentiment won with 52 percent of the vote, and the proclamation of the republic was set for May 31,1961.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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 Druzhba Pipeline once carried Russian oil to Moscow’s Cold War-era Soviet republics and socialist satellites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 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

Rich in natural resources, Central Asia's five republics have courted interest from major powers including China, the European Union and the United States since becoming independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.

From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025

All states and all dominions that have had and continue to have power over men have been, and still are, either republics or principalities.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli