body politic
noun
1
: a group of persons politically organized under a single governmental authority
2
archaic
: corporation sense 2
3
: a people considered as a collective unit
Examples of body politic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The connection tells us something about the unholy mixture of antisemitism, anti-Communism, and conspiracy theory which was part of the Southern resistance to desegregation, and which still circulates in the American body politic.
—
Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
And this week, the norm-busting impact of Donald Trump on our body politic may have reached its peak.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2023
Greene’s call, however, is not a cure for the disease in our body politic but a symptom of it.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 25 Feb. 2023
Here's a look at what the settlement means for the conservative news powerhouse, the U.S. body politic, and accountability for the post-election lies of 2020.
—Peter Weber, The Week, 19 Apr. 2023
The conviction was later overturned and Lula stormed back into public life, buoyed not just by his long-standing popularity among a segment of the Brazilian electorate but the support of voters who fear Bolsonaro’s corrosive impact on the country’s body politic.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2022
One view of Urban Legend, then, was as a reclamation project—pumping a dwindling supply of trust through a blanched and beleaguered body politic.
—Wired, 15 July 2022
As these anti-Putin figures may now be recognizing, the time has finally come to eject this irredentist streak from the Russian body politic—to forget Crimea, and to forget these dreams of empire, once and for all.
—Casey Michel, The New Republic, 2 Mar. 2023
Some had unintentional effects that created new problems in our body politic -- such as independent prosecutors who were seen as lacking accountability.
—Julian Zelizer, CNN, 1 July 2022
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Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023
And this week, the norm-busting impact of Donald Trump on our body politic may have reached its peak.
—ABC News, 2 Apr. 2023
Greene’s call, however, is not a cure for the disease in our body politic but a symptom of it.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 25 Feb. 2023
Here's a look at what the settlement means for the conservative news powerhouse, the U.S. body politic, and accountability for the post-election lies of 2020.
—Peter Weber, The Week, 19 Apr. 2023
The conviction was later overturned and Lula stormed back into public life, buoyed not just by his long-standing popularity among a segment of the Brazilian electorate but the support of voters who fear Bolsonaro’s corrosive impact on the country’s body politic.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2022
One view of Urban Legend, then, was as a reclamation project—pumping a dwindling supply of trust through a blanched and beleaguered body politic.
—Wired, 15 July 2022
As these anti-Putin figures may now be recognizing, the time has finally come to eject this irredentist streak from the Russian body politic—to forget Crimea, and to forget these dreams of empire, once and for all.
—Casey Michel, The New Republic, 2 Mar. 2023
Some had unintentional effects that created new problems in our body politic -- such as independent prosecutors who were seen as lacking accountability.
—Julian Zelizer, CNN, 1 July 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'body politic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of body politic was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near body politic
Cite this Entry
“Body politic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/body%20politic. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.
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Legal Definition
body politic
noun
body pol·i·tic
-ˈpä-lə-tik
plural bodies politic
: a group of individuals organized under a single governmental authority
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