government

noun

gov·​ern·​ment ˈgə-vər(n)-mənt How to pronounce government (audio)
-və-mənt;
ˈgə-bᵊm-ənt,
-vᵊm-
often attributive
1
: the body of persons that constitutes the governing authority of a political unit or organization: such as
a
: the officials comprising the governing body of a political unit and constituting the organization as an active agency
The government was slow to react to the crisis.
b
capitalized : the executive branch of the U.S. federal government
c
capitalized : a small group of persons holding simultaneously the principal political executive offices of a nation or other political unit and being responsible for the direction and supervision of public affairs:
(2)
: such a group in a parliamentary system constituted by the cabinet or by the ministry
2
a
: the organization, machinery, or agency through which a political unit exercises authority and performs functions and which is usually classified according to the distribution of power within it
She works for the federal government.
b
: the complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing is carried out
3
: the act or process of governing
specifically : authoritative direction or control
4
: the continuous exercise of authority over and the performance of functions for a political unit : rule
5
: political science
studied economics and government
6
a
: the office, authority, or function of governing
b
obsolete : the term during which a governing official holds office
7
obsolete : moral conduct or behavior : discretion
governmental adjective
governmentalize transitive verb
governmentally adverb

Examples of government in a Sentence

The government has been slow to react to the crisis. She works for the federal government. We need to improve relations with foreign governments. He is a firm believer in democratic government. We learned about different methods of government. The country has been damaged by many years of weak government.
Recent Examples on the Web The producer points to the list of companies supporting or sponsoring Frames, that include Viacom18, Meta, Netflix, Fremantle and Banijay, in addition to the Indian government. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 Several government agencies have looked into the incident or continue to do so, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and New York’s attorney general. Aaron Gregg, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Every hour a government auditor spends scrutinizing a return declaring $5 million of income unearths nearly $3,500 in unpaid taxes, according to the Government Accountability Office; for returns reporting $10 million or more, the yield is more than $13,000 per hour. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Individuals who reported a history of government surveillance describe higher rates of psychological distress, studies show. Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 Details of the partnership remain unclear, though government officials began internal conversations before the World Series. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 There was an explosion of violence after the government tried to crack down on gang leaders in the country’s prisons. Terence McGinley, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The Environmental Law & Policy Center plans to continue investigating how the model could be adopted by governments and non-government watchdog groups (acquiring aerial imagery is likely cost-prohibitive for residents, Garvey said). Bennet Goldstein, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 Haiti imposed a month-long state of the emergency and curfew on Thursday for the capital of Port-au-Prince, after armed gangs continued their assault on critical government infrastructures. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'government.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see govern

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of government was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near government

Cite this Entry

“Government.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/government. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

government

noun
gov·​ern·​ment ˈgəv-ər(n)-mənt How to pronounce government (audio)
ˈgəb-ᵊm-ənt,
ˈgəv-mənt
1
a
: the act or process of governing
especially : direction of a political unit
b
: the making of policy as distinguished from the administration of policy decisions
2
a
: the agency through which a political unit exercises authority
b
: manner of governing : the institutions, laws, and customs through which a political unit is governed
republican government
3
a
: the officials making up the governing body of a political unit
b
capitalized : the executive branch of the U.S. federal government
4
government adjective
governmental adjective
governmentally adverb

Legal Definition

government

noun
gov·​ern·​ment ˈgə-vər-mənt, -vərn- How to pronounce government (audio)
1
: the act or process of governing
specifically : authoritative direction or control
2
: the office, authority, or function of governing
3
: the continuous exercise of authority over and the performance of functions for a political unit : rule
4
a
: the organization, machinery, or agency through which a political unit exercises authority and performs functions and which is usually classified according to the distribution of power within it
b
: the complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing is carried out
5
: the body of persons that constitutes the governing authority of a political unit or organization: as
a
: the officials comprising the governing body of a political unit and constituting the organization as an active agency
b
capitalized : the executive branch of the U.S. federal government
c
: the prosecution in a criminal case in its capacity as agents of the political unit
the government failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
governmental adjective
governmentally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on government

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