democracy

American  

[dih-mok-ruh-see] / dɪˈmɒk rə si /

noun

plural

democracies

1. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

2. a state having such a form of government.

   The United States and Canada are democracies.

3. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.

4. political or social equality; democratic spirit.

5. the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

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democracy British  

/ dɪˈmɒkrəsɪ /

noun

1. government by the people or their elected representatives

2. a political or social unit governed ultimately by all its members

3. the practice or spirit of social equality

4. a social condition of classlessness and equality

5. the common people, esp as a political force

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democracy Cultural  

1. A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives.

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Usage

What is democracy? Democracy is a system of government where the citizens of a state exercise power to rule the state, either directly or through electing representatives.

Discover More

Democratic institutions, such as parliaments, may exist in a monarchy. Such constitutional monarchies as Britain, Canada, and Sweden are generally counted as democracies in practice.

Other Word Forms

• antidemocracy noun
• nondemocracy noun
• predemocracy noun
• prodemocracy adjective

Etymology

Origin of democracy

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French démocratie, from Late Latin dēmocratia, from Greek dēmokratía “popular government,” equivalent to dēmo- demo- + -kratia -cracy

Example Sentences

The U.S. remains what it has long been: a contentious, often frustrating democracy shaped by competing interests and imperfect leadership.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Rycroft review says it has focused on the risks posed to the UK's democracy by the deployment of foreign money.

From BBC

They consider themselves above both the law and democracy, and from the safety of their guarded homes, beyond it.

From Salon

It was everywhere online: a glistening democracy of vegetables and protein, dutifully spaced on parchment, slid into a hot oven, retrieved as a complete life solution.

From Salon

He called Canada's rights charter a "pillar of our democracy and a reflection of our shared values".

From BBC

Related Words

• equality
• freedom
• justice