government

[guhv-ern-muhnt, ‑er-muhnt]

noun

1. the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.; political administration.

   Government is necessary to the existence of civilized society.

2. the form or system of rule by which a state, community, etc., is governed.

   monarchical government; episcopal government.

3. the governing body of persons in a state, community, etc.; administration.

4. a branch or service of the supreme authority of a state or nation, taken as representing the whole.

   a dam built by the government.

5. (in some parliamentary systems, as that of the United Kingdom)

   1. the particular group of persons forming the cabinet at any given time.

      The prime minister has formed a new government.

   2. the parliament along with the cabinet.

      The government has fallen.

6. direction; control; management; rule.

   the government of one's conduct.

7. a district governed; province.

8. political science.

9. Grammar.,  the extablished usage that requires that one word in a sentence should cause another to be of a particular form.

   the government of the verb by its subject.

government

/ ˌɡʌvəˈmɛntəl, ˌɡʌvənˈmɛntəl, ˈɡʌvənmənt, ˈɡʌvəmənt /

noun

1. the exercise of political authority over the actions, affairs, etc, of a political unit, people, etc, as well as the performance of certain functions for this unit or body; the action of governing; political rule and administration

2. the system or form by which a community, etc, is ruled

   tyrannical government

3. 1. the executive policy-making body of a political unit, community, etc; ministry or administration

      yesterday we got a new government

   2. ( capital when of a specific country )

      the British Government

4. 1. the state and its administration

      blame it on the government

   2. ( as modifier )

      a government agency

5. regulation; direction

6. grammar the determination of the form of one word by another word

Grammar Note

See collective noun.

Pronunciation Note

Normal phonological processes are reflected in a variety of pronunciations for government. Most commonly, the first of assimilates to the immediately following , with the resulting identical nasal sounds coalescing to give the pronunciation . This pronunciation is considered standard and occurs throughout the U.S. For speakers in regions where postvocalic is regularly lost, as along the Eastern Seaboard and in the South, the resulting pronunciation is or, with loss of the medial unstressed vowel, . Further assimilation, in which the labiodental , in anticipation of the bilabial quality of the following , becomes the bilabial stop , leads in the South Midland and Southern U.S. to the pronunciation . See isn't.

Other Word Forms

• governmental adjective
• governmentally adverb
• countergovernment noun
• nongovernment noun
• nongovernmental adjective
• pro-government adjective
• regovernment noun
• semigovernmental adjective
• semigovernmentally adverb
• subgovernment noun
• undergovernment noun
• ungovernmental adjective
• ungovernmentally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of government¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Old French word governement. See govern, -ment

Example Sentences

Then a year later, Panahi received a 20-year ban from making films and a sentence of six years in prison, for what the Iranian government deemed “propaganda against the state.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The proclamation also allows local agencies to expedite the hiring of government positions needed to assist tenants.

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Energy UK, which represents suppliers, recently called for "enduring" government support for those struggling to pay their bills.

Read more on BBC

The government says it is taking its time to study the 300 page document.

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However, after ordering 25 million sterile gowns from PPE Medpro, the government later launched legal action in 2022 through the High Court, claiming the gowns did not comply with the agreed contract.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• authority 
• law 
• ministry 
• politics 
• power 
• regime 
• rule 
• state 
• union