democracy

Q: What is the basic meaning of 'democracy'?

The word democracy most often refers to a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting.

noun

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de·moc·ra·cy | \ di-ˈmä-krə-sē

plural democracies

Definition of democracy

1a : government by the people especially : rule of the majority

b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections

2 : a political unit that has a democratic government

3 capitalized : the principles and policies of the Democratic party in the U.S. from emancipation Republicanism to New Deal Democracy— C. M. Roberts

4 : the common people especially when constituting the source of political authority

5 : the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges

Synonyms Frequently Asked Questions About democracy More Example Sentences Phrases Containing democracy Learn More About democracy

Frequently Asked Questions About democracy

Is the United States a democracy or a republic?

The United States is both a democracy and a republic. Democracies and republics are both forms of government in which supreme power resides in the citizens. The word republic refers specifically to a government in which those citizens elect representatives who govern according to the law. The word democracy can refer to this same kind of representational government, or it can refer instead to what is also called a direct democracy, in which the citizens themselves participate in the act of governing directly.

What is the basic meaning of democracy?

The word democracy most often refers to a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting.

What is a democratic system of government?

A democratic system of government is a form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodic free elections.

Examples of democracy in a Sentence

Democracy, I would repeat, is the noblest form of government we have yet evolved … — Norman Mailer, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002 … this and the economic failures of faithful democracies in places such as India or the Anglophone Caribbean demonstrated conclusively that there was no inherent link between freedom and capitalism … — Orlando Patterson, New Republic, 8 Nov. 1999 Even in democracies today, crucial knowledge is available to only a few individuals … — Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, 1997 The nation has chosen democracy over monarchy. In a democracy, every citizen should have the right to vote. The company is not a democracy; decisions are made by a board of directors, not the workers. There is democracy within the company. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Were democracy working, Huber said, there would be new federal legislation to address the threat to the planet. — Adam Liptak, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2022 San Diego Congress members said the Jan. 6 hearings have shown that threats levelled at American democracy didn’t end that day, and leaders must prepare for future domestic attacks. — Deborah Sullivan Brennan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2022 The conservative jurist believes that not only was electoral democracy in peril after the 2020 election, but the specter is looming over 2024. — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 17 June 2022 There is also no democracy, freedom of association or right to take part in opposition political parties in Rwanda. — Carine Kanimba And Anaïse Kanimba, CNN, 17 June 2022 Screaming in front of the Supreme Court building is rambunctious democracy, but screaming at a Supreme Court justice from the sidewalk in front of her house is unhinged fanaticism. — The Editors, National Review, 12 May 2022 Essentially, while America is a democracy, the Constitution did not make the Supreme Court a directly representative body. — Jenny Singer, Glamour, 3 May 2022 As Emmert, a political scientist by training, has long hastened to note, the association is a representative democracy, largely controlled by its roughly 1,100 member colleges and universities of various sizes, budgets and athletic ambitions. — New York Times, 26 Apr. 2022 There is no requirement to be a democracy or to respect human rights — members China and Saudi Arabia would probably meet neither criteria if so. — Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'democracy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near democracy

demobilize

democracy

democrat

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Last Updated

4 Jul 2022

Cite this Entry

“Democracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy. Accessed 7 Jul. 2022.

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More Definitions for democracy

democracy

noun

de·moc·ra·cy | \ di-ˈmä-krə-sē

plural democracies

Kids Definition of democracy

1 : government by the people : majority rule

2 : government in which the highest power is held by the people and is usually used through representatives

3 : a political unit (as a nation) governed by the people

4 : belief in or practice of the idea that all people are socially equal

democracy

noun

de·moc·ra·cy | \ di-ˈmä-krə-sē

plural democracies

Legal Definition of democracy

1a : government by the people especially : rule of the majority

b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections

2 : a political unit that has a democratic government

Other Words from democracy

democratic \ ˌde-mə-ˈkra-tik

\ adjective

democratically adverb