state capitalism

American  

noun

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

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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

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Etymology

Origin of state capitalism

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

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

"Everybody's rushing out the -isms - corporatism, socialism, state capitalism," DeHaven said.

From BBC • Aug. 26, 2025

Shevek travels to rival system Urras, where inhabitants practice a form of state capitalism that is rife with the usual inequities.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2022

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