democracy

American  

[dih-mok-ruh-see] / dɪˈmɒk rə si /

noun

• democracies
  plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• democracies
  plural

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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

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Explanation

Whether you're talking about your glee club or a powerful nation, the word democracy describes government based on participation of the people, either directly or through elected representatives. Democracy traces back to the Greek words demos, meaning "people," and kratia, meaning "power." "People power" remains central to democracy, whether you're describing a country or a much smaller organization. If your glee club is run as a democracy, then everybody gets to vote on questions like what you're going to sing and what kind of outfits you’re going to wear. Because democracy assumes some idea of equality, it's often used to mean a just society, one in which everyone is treated equally.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

democracy democracies

"We will disagree, we should disagree, vigorous debate is part of a healthy democracy," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

More than 50,000 Israelis are expected to travel home to cast their ballots, according to the Aid Coalition, a US-based NGO that advocates for Israeli democracy.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

A speech at the Pnyx, where Athenians once gathered for popular assemblies that birthed democracy, provided a perfect opportunity to link America First to ancient Greek statecraft.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026

And I think that’s the beauty of democracy and is the beauty of this big-tent coalition that we’re trying to build here.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

“Thus Architecture died in the land of the free and the home of the brave—in a land declaring its fervid democracy, its inventiveness, its resourcefulness, its unique daring, enterprise and progress.”

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

But it’s also a reminder of why representative democracies have to be representative.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

"Impunity can be defeated and democracies can place limits on arbitrary power."

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

In a speech at the European Parliament with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in attendance, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe needed to tighten its cooperation with like-minded democracies, in particular Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Amodei’s other proposals included working with democracies to set safety standards and finding ways to ensure Chinese entities also comply.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

This system turned out to be more reliable than working out complicated arrangements with the nervous ambassadors of the foreign democracies.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

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Related Words

• equality
• freedom
• justice

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