republic

[ ri-puhb-lik ]

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

republic

/ 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

republic

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 democracyare 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.

Other Words From

• semi·re·public noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of republic¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of republic¹

C17: from French république , from Latin rēspublica literally: the public thing, from rēs thing + publica public

Example Sentences

Elinson suggests that Americans “have failed to understand that the relative porousness of our parties—the very feature that drives internal party conflict—has helped to safeguard our republic…”

From Salon

The Trump administration will use its Project 2025 to dismantle every step we have taken toward a more just, inclusive society, striking at the very pillars of our constitutional republic.

From Salon

“We will safeguard the heart of the republic – freedom,” she vowed, and urged Americans to rise above ideology for the sake of the country.

From BBC

Mr Vocks had first visited the former Soviet republic three years earlier, and recalls experiencing "the cliché that one would have of Eastern Europe at that time".

From BBC

Yet they also concluded that slavery was morally wrong and that a Southern slaveocracy's secession and success would cripple the republic, not to mention their own dignity.

From Salon