republic

American  

[ri-puhb-lik] / rɪˈpʌb lɪk /

noun

1. a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.

2. any body of persons viewed as a commonwealth.

3. a state in which the head of government is not a monarch or other hereditary head of state.

4. (initial capital letter) any of the five periods of republican government in France.

5. (initial capital letter, italics) a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) by Plato dealing with the composition and structure of the ideal state.

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republic British  

/ rɪˈpʌblɪk /

noun

1. a form of government in which the people or their elected representatives possess the supreme power

2. a political or national unit possessing such a form of government

3. a constitutional form in which the head of state is an elected or nominated president

4. any community or group that resembles a political republic in that its members or elements exhibit a general equality, shared interests, etc

   the republic of letters

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republic Cultural  

1. A form of government in which power is explicitly vested in the people, who in turn exercise their power through elected representatives. Today, the terms republic and democracy are virtually interchangeable, but historically the two differed. Democracy implied direct rule by the people, all of whom were equal, whereas republic implied a system of government in which the will of the people was mediated by representatives, who might be wiser and better educated than the average person. In the early American republic, for example, the requirement that voters own property and the establishment of institutions such as the Electoral College were intended to cushion the government from the direct expression of the popular will.

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Other Word Forms

• semirepublic noun

Etymology

Origin of republic

First recorded in 1595–1605; from French république, Middle French, from Latin rēs pūblica, equivalent to rēs “thing, entity” ( rebus ( def. ) ) + pūblica public

Example Sentences

"Continuity is built into the system and its institutions and so far, there is no indication that the collapse of the Islamic republic is imminent."

From Barron's

Paraphrasing Ronald Reagan, he says: “In a republic, you’re always only one generation away from the extinction of freedom. There’s deep, deep wisdom in that line.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“This new republic had more continuity than novelty, since many politicians who were central to the dictatorship moved to central roles in the democratic government,” explains Gasparotto.

From Los Angeles Times

Although the side sang Iran's anthem -- an ode to the glory of the Islamic republic -- in later matches, human rights activists warned the damage was done.

From Barron's

He also sets out four objectives: eliminate Iran's ballistic missile capability, destroy their navy, ensure the Islamic republic never gets a nuclear weapon, and ensure Iranian proxy groups can no longer carry out attacks.

From Barron's