politics

American  

[pol-i-tiks] / ˈpɒl ɪ tɪks /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. the science or art of political government.

2. the practice or profession of conducting political affairs.

3. political affairs.

   The advocated reforms have become embroiled in politics.

4. political methods or maneuvers.

   We could not approve of his politics in winning passage of the bill.

5. political principles or opinions.

   We avoided discussion of religion and politics. His politics are his own affair.

6. use of intrigue or strategy in obtaining any position of power or control, as in business, university, etc.

7. (initial capital letter, italics) a treatise (4th century b.c.) by Aristotle, dealing with the structure, organization, and administration of the state, especially the city-state as known in ancient Greece.

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idioms

1. play politics,

   1. to engage in political intrigue, take advantage of a political situation or issue, resort to partisan politics, etc.; exploit a political system or political relationships.

   2. to deal with people in an opportunistic, manipulative, or devious way, as for job advancement.

politics British  

/ ˈpɒlɪtɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the practice or study of the art and science of forming, directing, and administrating states and other political units; the art and science of government; political science

2. (functioning as singular) the complex or aggregate of relationships of people in society, esp those relationships involving authority or power

3. (functioning as plural) political activities or affairs

   party politics

4. (functioning as singular) the business or profession of politics

5. (functioning as singular or plural) any activity concerned with the acquisition of power, gaining one's own ends, etc

   company politics are frequently vicious

6. (functioning as plural) opinions, principles, sympathies, etc, with respect to politics

   his conservative politics

7. (functioning as plural)

   1. the policy-formulating aspects of government as distinguished from the administrative, or legal

   2. the civil functions of government as distinguished from the military

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politics More Idioms  

1. see play politics.

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Other Word Forms

• antipolitics adjective
• propolitics adjective

Etymology

Origin of politics

First recorded in 1520–30; politic, -ics

Example Sentences

U.S. military officers are immersed, from the time they’re cadets, in a culture that respects civilian control and discourages getting involved in politics.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Rough & Tumble — the name captures the sweat and grit of politics — has continued without interruption for 30-plus years.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Beijing moved Ma into regional politics in late 2013, naming him law-enforcement chief and deputy party secretary for the prosperous southeastern province of Guangdong.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Unlike Orban, who waxes lyrical on global politics, Magyar focusses on domestic issues such as healthcare, education, transport and rural depopulation in his speeches.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Throughout the first half of the 1790s, the closest approximation to a self-evident truth in American politics was George Washington.

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

Related Words

• campaigning
• government