banana republic
nounDefinition of banana republic
: a small dependent country usually of the tropics especially : one run despotically
Examples of banana republic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Managers, who have the shelf life of banana republic dictators, hit bricks more than Padres hit baseballs. — Nick Canepa, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres' Green playing the hand he has been dealt," 13 May 2018 Increasingly, the United States — which had long been a symbol of stability and seriousness — is being seen as a banana republic, or, rather, a once serious nation run by an unstable egomaniac. — Andrés Oppenheimer, miamiherald, "Even Latin America worries that White House chaos is a sign of U.S. instability | Miami Herald," 13 Mar. 2018 One of the things that keeps the United States from turning into a banana republic is the cynical, often hypocritical attacks on corruption employed by both parties. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "The worst kind of crooks," 17 Apr. 2018 Rather than address Trump’s unfitness, GOP leaders (and Trump) are plunging America into banana republic-style authoritarianism. — Will Bunch, Philly.com, "Actually, the most insane thing about 'stable genius' Trump may be his policies | Will Bunch," 7 Jan. 2018 That, like in some small, faraway banana republic, there is no longer an independent system of justice. — Will Bunch, Philly.com, "Trump looks ready to fire Mueller. There's no guarantee this ends like Watergate | Will Bunch," 12 Dec. 2017 Still, his pressure for Democrats to join his banana republic-style coup will hurt many of that party’s candidates in close contests, regardless of their answer. — Karl Rove, WSJ, "The Democrats’ Impeachment Mania," 25 Oct. 2017 President Trump, after all, likes to keep it in the family, like a mom-and-pop restaurant or the government of a banana republic. — Jack Holmes, Esquire, "Report: Trump's Legal Team Drew Up a Resignation Letter for Jared Kushner This Summer," 12 Sep. 2017 This is what leaders do in banana republics: Instruct the people with guns to join the political fray. — Phillip Carter, Slate Magazine, "Trump is ordering service members to support the Republican agenda. That is terrifying.," 24 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'banana republic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
'Banana Republic': A History
'Banana Republic': A History
How 19th-century Honduras gave us a lasting expression
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The first known use of banana republic was in 1904
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