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It might be news to you that the term fourth estate has been around for centuries. In Europe, going back to medieval times, the people who participated in the political life of a country were generally divided into three classes or estates. In England they were the three groups with representation in Parliament, namely, the nobility, the clergy, and the common people. Some other group, like the mob or the public press, that had an unofficial but often great influence on public affairs, was called the fourth estate. In the 19th century, fourth estate came to refer exclusively to the press, and now it's applied to all branches of the news media.
Examples of fourth estate in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fourth estate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
1837, in the meaning defined above
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Dictionary Entries Near fourth estate
Cite this Entry
“Fourth estate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fourth%20estate. Accessed 14 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
fourth estate
noun
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