parliamentary system

[ (pahr-luh-men-tree, pahr-luh-men-tuh-ree) ]

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A system of government in which the power to make and execute laws is held by a parliament. Britain has a parliamentary system of government, one of the oldest in the world. The United States does not; its legislature, the Congress, passes the laws, and a separate part of government, the executive branch, carries them out.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Words nearby parliamentary system

Parliamentary Commissioner, parliamentary government, parliamentary law, parliamentary private secretary, parliamentary secretary, parliamentary system, Parliament clock, parliament hinge, parlor, parlor car, parlor game

How to use parliamentary system in a sentence

And if you look at Britain in comparison: it had a parliamentary system at that time.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator|J.P. O’Malley|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But despite the pain, Britain and its ancient parliamentary system dealt rather well with the dislocations caused by the war.
Wounds of World War I Have Yet to Heal|Michael F. Bishop|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From the start, we were not a parliamentary system, in which loyalty to the party is paramount and demanded.
Don’t Repeal Any Laws, Repeal John Boehner|Michael Tomasky|July 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The country had a vibrant parliamentary system, an educated urban middle class, and a lively press that all but defied censorship.
Abbas’s Challenge to Obama|John Barry|September 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Thailand is a unique society in the modern world: a Theravada Buddhist monarchy with a parliamentary system.
Thailand on the Brink|Lawrence Osborne|April 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Under the old parliamentary system, he had the greatest number of nomination boroughs possessed by any Whig noble.
Endymion|Benjamin Disraeli
It cannot observe the rules of the Parliamentary system quite regularly yet.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, December 1879|Various
Of course at home our wretched parliamentary system would make it inadvisable to have them executed.
Captain Jinks, Hero|Ernest Crosby
We cannot under a Parliamentary system of government go behind the result of an election.
England's Case Against Home Rule|Albert Venn Dicey
Nominally, the parliamentary system is in vogue, but at best it operates only indifferently.
The Governments of Europe|Frederic Austin Ogg