Monroe Doctrine

noun

Mon·​roe Doctrine mən-ˈrō- 

also ˈmən-

or ˈmän-

: a statement of U.S. foreign policy expressing opposition to extension of European control or influence in the western hemisphere

Examples of Monroe Doctrine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Officials frame the shift as backing drug interdiction and border security, reviving Monroe Doctrine-era claims to dominance in the Americas while warning against growing Chinese influence in Latin America. — Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

American anti-immigrant politics consequently differs from the European version, remaining more closely bound to the Monroe Doctrine and its vision of hemispheric control. — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026

President Fillmore also 2aggressively held to the Monroe Doctrine, and prevented European powers from annexing Hawaii. — New York Times, 11 June 2026

This practice was often justified by the Roosevelt Corollary, President Theodore Roosevelt’s addition to the Monroe Doctrine. — Tony Wood, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

James Monroe

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above