state capitalism

American  

noun

1. a form of capitalism in which the central government controls most of the capital, industry, natural resources, etc.

---

state capitalism British  

noun

1. a form of capitalism in which the state owns or controls most of the means of production and other capital: often very similar to state socialism

---

Etymology

Origin of state capitalism

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Beijing also revved up the engine of state capitalism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

Under this unfolding form of American state capitalism, the U.S. is pushing the boundaries of its legal authority to invest billions of dollars in a growing number of companies in return for stock.

From Barron's • Oct. 22, 2025

Such libertarian-sounding pronouncements may seem bizarre to non-Americans who’ve lived with authoritarian state capitalism for decades, as in Singapore and China.

From Salon • May 13, 2025

An undergraduate course will focus on the current stage of globalized state capitalism and ways of approaching “the common good” as it has been conceived in various ways since the Enlightenment.

From New York Times • Oct. 31, 2016

The creations of the one, Protestantism, the national state, capitalism, individualism, reached their perfect maturity in the other.

From The Age of the Reformation by Smith, Preserved