regime

American  

[ruh-zheem, rey-, -jeem] / rəˈʒim, reɪ-, -ˈdʒim /

Or régime

noun

• regimes
  plural

1. a mode or system of rule or government.

   a dictatorial regime.

2. a ruling or prevailing system.

3. a government in power.

4. the period during which a particular government or ruling system is in power.

5. Medicine/Medical. regimen.

---

regime British  

/ reɪˈʒiːm /

noun

1. a system of government or a particular administration

   a fascist regime

   the regime of Fidel Castro

2. a social system or order

3. med another word for regimen

---

regime Cultural  

1. An administration, or a system of managing government.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• regimes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of regime

First recorded in 1770–80; from French régime, from Latin regimen regimen

Explanation

A regime is the ruling government of a country. The amount of freedom and restriction that citizens of a country have can change from regime to regime. Regime takes its militaristic and government feel from the Latin word regimen "to rule." A political regime has a negative association to it that makes you think of totalitarian governments. How did it come to mean "diet" or "program of exercise" as well? If you are put on a regime of exercise and healthy eating, you are ordered by a doctor to do these things and it probably feels like you're being ruled sometimes!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

regime regimes

Lebanon has handed Syria a former general who served under the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad, in the first extradition of its kind since his government fell.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Another resident also doubts fresh penalties will have an impact on the longevity of the regime.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Carney was clear that “we needed to ensure that the supply-management regime remained entirely intact, and I’m confident that that’s the case,” LeBlanc said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Previously purged under Mao Zedong's regime, Zhu was brought back into the fold after Mao's death in 1976.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Every time she went along with some insane practice of the regime, she felt his sad, sober eyes accusing her of giving in.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

The twin disclosures caused consternation among lawmakers, with some citing them to argue for new regulation or testing regimes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

To decide what to fund, staffers with deep expertise typically pored over reams of information on abuses under the most repressive regimes and held an open competition to fund groups to work in those countries.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Strategists identify themes based on a quantitative formula, evaluating macroeconomic regimes, earnings, valuation and sentiment.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

Because synthetic rotation can imitate motion beyond the speed of light, researchers now have a controlled laboratory platform for exploring physical regimes that would otherwise be impossible to study directly.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

The United States now has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, dwarfing the rates of nearly every developed country, even surpassing those in highly repressive regimes like Russia, China, and Iran.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• administration
• establishment
• government
• management
• reign
• rule
• system