government

noun, often attributive gov·ern·ment \ ˈgə-vər(n)-mənt , -və-mənt ; ˈgə-bᵊm-ənt , -vᵊm- \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

Definition of government

1 : the act or process of governing; specifically : authoritative direction or control

2 obsolete : moral conduct or behavior : discretion

3 a : the office, authority, or function of governing

b obsolete : the term during which a governing official holds office

4 : the continuous exercise of authority over and the performance of functions for a political unit : rule

5 a : the organization, machinery, or agency through which a political unit exercises authority and performs functions and which is usually classified according to the distribution of power within it

She works for the federal government.

b : the complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing is carried out

6 : the body of persons that constitutes the governing authority of a political unit or organization: such as

a : the officials comprising the governing body of a political unit and constituting the organization as an active agency

The government was slow to react to the crisis.

b capitalized : the executive branch of the U.S. federal government

c capitalized : a small group of persons holding simultaneously the principal political executive offices of a nation or other political unit and being responsible for the direction and supervision of public affairs:

(1) : such a group in a parliamentary system constituted by the cabinet or by the ministry

(2) : administration 4b

7 : political science

studied economics and government

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governmental

play \ˌgə-vər(n)-ˈmen-tᵊl\ adjective

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governmentalize

play \ˌgə-vər(n)-ˈmen-tə-ˌlīz\ transitive verb

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governmentally

play \ˌgə-vər(n)-ˈmen-tᵊl-ē\ adverb

See government defined for English-language learners

See government defined for kids

Examples of government in a Sentence

The government has been slow to react to the crisis.
She works for the federal government.
We need to improve relations with foreign governments.
He is a firm believer in democratic government.
We learned about different methods of government.
The country has been damaged by many years of weak government.

Recent Examples of government from the Web

The controversial issue of service animals on airline flights is getting attention from the federal government.

— kelly yamanouchi, ajc, "DOT seeks public comments on emotional support animals, service animals on flights," 17 May 2018
The federal government had just approved the first drug for spinal muscular atrophy, the leading genetic cause of death in infants.

— jonathan saltzman, BostonGlobe.com, "Startup seeks answers to insidious form of epilepsy," 16 May 2018
In addition, Dudley had a contract with the federal government as a mail carrier.

— leah sottile, Longreads, "Bundyville Chapter Two: By a Thread," 16 May 2018
The Tea Party’s message was incredibly simple: shrink the federal government and federal spending.

— jane coaston, Vox, "In 2018, the Tea Party is all in for Trump," 15 May 2018
If the law withstands those challenges, observers say, other states and the federal government are likely to adopt similar measures.

— gretchen vogel, Science | AAAS, "In Germany, controversial law gives Bavarian police new power to use DNA," 15 May 2018
While some companies contact bug bounty hunters directly, others, including the federal government, go through broker-type businesses such as HackerOne and Bugcrowd, both based in San Francisco.

— jenni bergal, The Christian Science Monitor, "White-hat hackers debug state security systems," 15 May 2018
Several cities in Stanislaus and Fresno County have voted to side with the federal government over the state in the lawsuit, or are considering doing so.

— emily cadei, sacbee, "Fresno, Stanislaus sheriffs to attend anti-sanctuary state meeting with Trump | The Sacramento Bee," 15 May 2018
With conflicting views on how the federal government should address these concerns, states would have the flexibility to regulate these laws on their own.

— chris sims, Indianapolis Star, "Here's how 5 states' rights issues might be impacted by sports betting ruling," 14 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of government

see govern

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

government Synonyms

Synonyms

administration, care, charge, conduct, control, direction, governance, guidance, handling, intendance, management, operation, oversight, presidency, regulation, running, stewardship, superintendence, superintendency, supervision;

Related Words

generalship, leadership, rulership;

agency;

aegis (also egis), custody, guardianship, keeping, lap, protection, safekeeping, trust, tutelage, ward;

engineering, logistics, machination, manipulation;

coadministration, codirection, comanagement;

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

GOVERNMENT Defined for English Language Learners

government

noun

Definition of government for English Language Learners

: the group of people who control and make decisions for a country, state, etc.
: a particular system used for controlling a country, state, etc.
: the process or manner of controlling a country, state, etc.

GOVERNMENT Defined for Kids

government

noun gov·ern·ment \ ˈgə-vərn-mənt , -vər-mənt \

Definition of government for Students

1 : control and direction of public business (as of a city or a nation)

The mayor makes decisions regarding the government of city departments.

2 : a system of control : an established form of political rule

a democratic government

3 : the people making up a governing body Their governments are committed to peace.

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governmental

\ˌgə-vərn-ˈmen-t-ᵊl, -vər-ˈmen-tᵊl\ adjective

Law Dictionary

government

noun gov·ern·ment \ ˈgə-vər-mənt, -vərn- \

legal Definition of government

1 : the act or process of governing; specifically : authoritative direction or control

2 : the office, authority, or function of governing

3 : the continuous exercise of authority over and the performance of functions for a political unit : rule

4 a : the organization, machinery, or agency through which a political unit exercises authority and performs functions and which is usually classified according to the distribution of power within it

b : the complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing is carried out

5 : the body of persons that constitutes the governing authority of a political unit or organization: as

a : the officials comprising the governing body of a political unit and constituting the organization as an active agency

b capitalized : the executive branch of the U.S. federal government

c : the prosecution in a criminal case in its capacity as agents of the political unit