: 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
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An expansion of the Panama precedent Even during the Cold War, the Monroe Doctrine could be logically invoked to keep the Soviets out of the hemisphere – whether in Guatemala in 1954, Cuba in 1961, the Dominican Republic in 1965 or Grenada in 1983.
—
Alan McPherson, The Conversation, 2 Nov. 2025
The Monroe Doctrine was welcomed by independence leaders in South America, including Simón Bolívar, who successfully led the liberation of modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia from the Spanish Empire.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
When the United States joined NATO in 1949, American policymakers pointed to the Rio Pact as a precedent and drew analogies between the alliance’s founding document, the North Atlantic Treaty, and the Monroe Doctrine.
—Jennifer Kavanagh, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
China reciprocated, claiming a traditional sphere of influence that corresponded to the Monroe Doctrine.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2025
The Monroe Doctrine, while audacious, proved effective and laid the groundwork for the Western Hemisphere as America’s stepping stone to the rest of the world.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2025
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, U.S. Presidents invoked the Monroe Doctrine to justify intervening in Latin American countries.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
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Alan McPherson, The Conversation, 2 Nov. 2025
The Monroe Doctrine was welcomed by independence leaders in South America, including Simón Bolívar, who successfully led the liberation of modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia from the Spanish Empire.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
When the United States joined NATO in 1949, American policymakers pointed to the Rio Pact as a precedent and drew analogies between the alliance’s founding document, the North Atlantic Treaty, and the Monroe Doctrine.
—Jennifer Kavanagh, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
China reciprocated, claiming a traditional sphere of influence that corresponded to the Monroe Doctrine.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2025
The Monroe Doctrine, while audacious, proved effective and laid the groundwork for the Western Hemisphere as America’s stepping stone to the rest of the world.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 21 June 2025
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, U.S. Presidents invoked the Monroe Doctrine to justify intervening in Latin American countries.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monroe Doctrine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Monroe%20Doctrine. Accessed 23 Nov. 2025.
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