client state

noun

: a country that is economically, politically, or militarily dependent on another country

Examples of client state in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But signs of what the future may hold in the CAR, one of the organization’s first client states and its laboratory on the continent, are beginning to emerge in Bangui. Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023 That policy, which may have pleased America’s client states in the region at the time, was a product of post-Cold War hubris on our part. Andrew Exum, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2023 On Sunday, Putin also met the Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, who has effectively turned his country into a Russian client state. Sergii Mukaieliants, Washington Post, 27 July 2023 The deal was worked out through an unlikely intermediary: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, whose country has become all but a client state of Russia. Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 25 June 2023 In turn, client states have used Pegasus against not only opposition groups, journalists, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) but also geopolitical rivals. Ronald J. Deibert, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2022 Post-war, Romania became a Soviet client state. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 20 Mar. 2023 Communist Vietnam, fearful of rising Chinese power, is open to American overtures, while democratic Pakistan, a Cold War ally of Washington’s that is now heavily linked to China through Belt and Road investments, has effectively become a client state of Beijing. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2022 Some American officials worry that China’s goal in the Solomons is to create a client state, securing deepwater ports and satellite communication sites. Damien Cave Matthew Abbott, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'client state.' 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

1803, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of client state was in 1803

Dictionary Entries Near client state

Cite this Entry

“Client state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/client%20state. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

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