democracy
[ dih-mok-ruh-see ]
/ dɪˈmɒk rə si /
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noun, plural de·moc·ra·cies.
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.
a state having such a form of government: The United States and Canada are democracies.
a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.
political or social equality; democratic spirit.
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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Origin of democracy
OTHER WORDS FROM democracy
an·ti·de·moc·ra·cy, noun, plural an·ti·de·moc·ra·cies, adjectivenon·de·moc·ra·cy, noun, plural non·de·moc·ra·cies.pre·de·moc·ra·cy, noun, plural pre·de·moc·ra·cies.pro·de·moc·ra·cy, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use democracy in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for democracy
democracy
/ (dɪˈmɒkrəsɪ) /
noun plural -cies
government by the people or their elected representatives
a political or social unit governed ultimately by all its members
the practice or spirit of social equality
a social condition of classlessness and equality
the common people, esp as a political force
Word Origin for democracy
C16: from French démocratie, from Late Latin dēmocratia, from Greek dēmokratia government by the people; see demo-, -cracy
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for democracy
democracy
A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives.
notes for democracy
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.