office politics

American

[aw-fis pahl-i-tiks, ahf-is] / ˈɔ fɪs ˈpɑl ɪ tɪks, ˈɑf ɪs /

noun

the ways in which individuals in a business or workplace gain and hold social power; the interpersonal dynamics informed by and related to such unspoken power structures.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The first belongs to the nurturers: people who invested energy and care into helping me improve my craft, guided me through the nuances of office politics, or lifted me after a career faceplant.

From Salon • May 9, 2025

"But I really do enjoy going up there because things are much simpler, and there are no office politics."

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2024

Clients of all races have told him they prefer remote work, but his Black clients have more frequently emphasized that continuing to work from home allowed them to avoid office politics.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2023

But although the invention would have been critical to soldiers during World War II, manufacturing issues and office politics stymied the project.

From Washington Post • Apr. 1, 2023

One coworker was openly hostile and competitive, the first time Jesse had ever encountered office politics.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023