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shadow government

American  
[shad-oh guh-vern-muhnt] / ˈʃæd oʊ ˈgʌ vərn mənt /

noun

shadow governments plural
  1. a group of people thought to be the real power secretly controlling the official government of a nation, leadership of a corporation, or the like.

  2. Politics. the leaders in an opposition party, each of whom is assigned to track the activities of a specific member of the government so as to counter them in the legislature and, potentially, assume their roles should the governing party lose in an election.


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Noun Inflected Forms

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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In return for the support it is getting from the ethnic insurgents, the shadow government is promising a new federal political system which will give Myanmar's regions self-rule.

From BBC Dec. 12, 2024

It was never clear how much domestic support he had, however, and many of the people who made up his shadow government resided in Washington.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 13, 2024

Christian Malanga, the slain leader of the Congolese opposition political party, considered himself president of a shadow government in exile, which he called the “New Zaire.”

From Seattle Times May 24, 2024

The Phoenix program was designed to uncover and dismantle the National Liberation Front’s shadow government across South Vietnam.

From Salon Apr. 21, 2024

Devoid of these two pillars of political might - Thaci may find himself unemployed, a former self-declared Prime Minister of a shadow government in Albanian exile.

From After the Rain : how the West lost the East by Vaknin, Samuel

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