republic

American  

[ri-puhb-lik] / rɪˈpʌb lɪk /

noun

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

• semirepublic noun

Etymology

Origin of republic

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

Example Sentences

In a republic, the noun, supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, constrained by law.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The Pentagon chief said talks on ending the war were making progress even as the more than month-long US-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic republic continued.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Rather, he said, leaders in a republic must seek to “mold” public sentiment—to convince an often skeptical populace that a controversial course of action is justified.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker and a veteran of the Revolutionary Guards, has emerged as the highest-profile political figure in the Islamic republic after the killing of its leaders.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

No one in the political leadership of the early American republic needed to be reminded who Catiline was.

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