GOVERNMENT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does government mean? 

• GOVERNMENT (noun)
  The noun GOVERNMENT has 4 senses:

1. the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit

2. the act of governing; exercising authority

3. (government) the system or form by which a community or other political unit is governed

4. the study of government of states and other political units

  Familiarity information: GOVERNMENT used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GOVERNMENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The organization that is the governing authority of a political unit

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

authorities; government; regime

Context example:

the matter was referred to higher authorities

Hypernyms ("government" is a kind of...):

polity (a politically organized unit)

Meronyms (parts of "government"):

administration; brass; establishment; governance; governing body; organisation; organization (the persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something)

judicatory; judicature; judicial system; judiciary (the system of law courts that administer justice and constitute the judicial branch of government)

Meronyms (members of "government"):

government department (a department of government)

general assembly; law-makers; legislative assembly; legislative body; legislature (persons who make or amend or repeal laws)

executive (persons who administer the law)

bench; judiciary (persons who administer justice)

division (an administrative unit in government or business)

government officials; officialdom (people elected or appointed to administer a government)

Domain category:

administration; governance; governing; government; government activity (the act of governing; exercising authority)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "government"):

totalitarian state; totalitation regime (a government that subordinates the individual to the state and strictly controls all aspects of life by coercive measures)

state government (the government of a state in the United States)

state (the group of people comprising the government of a sovereign state)

pupet regime; puppet government; puppet state (a government that is appointed by and whose affairs are directed by an outside authority that may impose hardships on those governed)

papacy; pontificate (the government of the Roman Catholic Church)

palace (the governing group of a kingdom)

military government; stratocracy (government by the military and an army)

local government (the government of a local area)

government-in-exile (a temporary government moved to or formed in a foreign land by exiles who hope to rule when their country is liberated)

federal government (a government with strong central powers)

empire (a group of countries under a single authority)

Downing Street (the British government)

court; royal court (the sovereign and his advisers who are the governing power of a state)

ancien regime (a political and social system that no longer governs (especially the system that existed in France before the French Revolution))

bureaucracy (a government that is administered primarily by bureaus that are staffed with nonelective officials)

authoritarian regime; authoritarian state (a government that concentrates political power in an authority not responsible to the people)

Derivation:

govern (exercise authority over; as of nations)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of governing; exercising authority

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

administration; governance; governing; government; government activity

Context example:

he had considerable experience of government

Hypernyms ("government" is a kind of...):

social control (control exerted (actively or passively) by group action)

Domain member category:

squandermania (prodigious squandering (usually by a government))

land reform (a redistribution of agricultural land (especially by government action))

minimalist (advocating minimal reforms (as in government or politics))

unitary (characterized by or constituting a form of government in which power is held by one central authority)

federal (characterized by or constituting a form of government in which power is divided between one central and several regional authorities)

allegiant (steadfast in devotion (especially to your lawful monarch or government))

progressive; reform-minded; reformist (favoring or promoting reform (often by government action))

anarchy; lawlessness (a state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government))

office; power ((of a government or government official) holding an office means being in power)

zero-coupon bond; zero coupon bond (a bond that is issued at a deep discount from its value at maturity and pays no interest during the life of the bond; the commonest form of zero-coupon security)

bounty; premium (payment or reward (especially from a government) for acts such as catching criminals or killing predatory animals or enlisting in the military)

authorities; government; regime (the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit)

manifesto; pronunciamento (a public declaration of intentions (as issued by a political party or government))

paternalism (the attitude (of a person or a government) that subordinates should be controlled in a fatherly way for their own good)

government; political science; politics (the study of government of states and other political units)

government ((government) the system or form by which a community or other political unit is governed)

protest march (occasion when you can express opposition by marching (usually on some government institution) without a license)

destabilisation; destabilization (the action of destabilizing; making something less stable (especially of a government or country or economy))

devolution; devolvement (the delegation of authority (especially from a central to a regional government))

price-fixing (control (by agreement among producers or by government) of the price of a commodity in interstate commerce)

event planner (someone who plans social events as a profession (usually for government or corporate officials))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "government"):

lawmaking; legislating; legislation (the act of making or enacting laws)

trust busting ((law) government activities seeking to dissolve corporate trusts and monopolies (especially under the United States antitrust laws))

misgovernment; misrule (government that is inefficient or dishonest)

Derivation:

govern (direct or strongly influence the behavior of)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(government) the system or form by which a community or other political unit is governed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

tyrannical government

Hypernyms ("government" is a kind of...):

system; system of rules (a complex of methods or rules governing behavior)

Domain category:

administration; governance; governing; government; government activity (the act of governing; exercising authority)

Derivation:

govern (bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The study of government of states and other political units

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

government; political science; politics

Hypernyms ("government" is a kind of...):

social science (the branch of science that studies society and the relationships of individual within a society)

Domain category:

administration; governance; governing; government; government activity (the act of governing; exercising authority)

Domain member category:

side (one of two or more contesting groups)

assassin; assassinator; bravo (a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed)

nominating address; nominating speech; nomination (an address (usually at a political convention) proposing the name of a candidate to run for election)

muckraker; mudslinger (one who spreads real or alleged scandal about another (usually for political advantage))

fencesitter; independent; mugwump (a neutral or uncommitted person (especially in politics))

regular (a dependable follower (especially in party politics))

coattails effect ((politics) the consequence of one popular candidate in an election drawing votes for other members of the same political party)

war chest (a fund accumulated to finance a war (or a political campaign))

Sturm und Drang; turbulence; upheaval (a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally))

minimalist (advocating minimal reforms (as in government or politics))

Soviets (the government of the Soviet Union)

combination (an alliance of people or corporations or countries for a special purpose (formerly to achieve some antisocial end but now for general political or economic purposes))

catechism (a series of question put to an individual (such as a political candidate) to elicit their views)

cabal; conspiracy (a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act (especially a political plot))

demonstration; manifestation (a public display of group feelings (usually of a political nature))

patronage ((politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support)

mandate (the commission that is given to a government and its policies through an electoral victory)

politics (the profession devoted to governing and to political affairs)

bolt (a sudden abandonment (as from a political party))

civilisation; civilization (a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "government"):

geopolitics (the study of the effects of economic geography on the powers of the state)

practical politics; realpolitik (politics based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations)

 Context examples 

Certain government programs and nonprofit organizations can help.

(Financial Assistance, NIH)

Most parents have a will, for without one, should anything happen, the government will take much too much from your estate, leaving far less for your children.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

A new study tracks differences in the savanna there across 30 years, and provides information that will allow governments and non-profit organizations to improve dryland management strategies in the region.

(Land cover change in Botswana savannas: Don't blame the elephants, National Science Foundation)

Check to see who runs the site: Is it a branch of the government, a university, a health organization, a hospital or a business?

(Evaluating Health Information, NIH: National Library of Medicine)

The UK government has said natural environments could act as a vital resource for improving health and well-being.

(People Living Near Parks in Cities Less Likely to Face Early Death, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

People who meet certain requirements can qualify for government health insurance, such as Medicare and Medicaid.

(Health Insurance, NIH)

There was a most ingenious doctor, who seemed to be perfectly versed in the whole nature and system of government.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

A United States organization of distinguished scientists and engineers established for the purpose of investigating and reporting upon any subject of art or science as requested by any department of government.

(National Academy of Science, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A political unit, such as a city, town, or village, incorporated for local self-government.

(Municipality, NCI Thesaurus)

Medicare is the U.S. government's health insurance program for people age 65 or older.

(Medicare, NIH)