government

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

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

As if that wasn’t enough, earlier this month, Rafael Marquez, Mexico’s captain and one of the most legendary players and figures in El Tri’s history, was sanctioned by the U.S. government over alleged ties to a drug trafficking organization.

— luis miguel echegaray, SI.com, "With Summer Woes in Past, Mexico Locks in on Securing World Cup Berth," 31 Aug. 2017
A weaker Harvey replicated its devastating roll Wednesday, returning to shore with a deluge of rain that inundated homes and highways and left police and government officials struggling to pluck people from the water.

— adam kealoha causey, The Seattle Times, "Harvey repeats devastation back ashore in Texas, Louisiana," 30 Aug. 2017
Those revisions offset a bigger drag from spending by state and local governments.

— martin crutsinger, USA TODAY, "U.S. economic growth upgraded to 3% rate in Q2 2017," 30 Aug. 2017
The Obama order led to limits on the types of equipment local agencies could acquire from the federal government.

— jane wester, charlotteobserver, "CMPD’s response to Trump restoring access to military gear? No thanks.," 30 Aug. 2017
Most Republicans oppose it on those same grounds — as a step toward government-run health care.

— julie rovner, Kaiser Health News, "5 Outside-The-Box Ideas For Fixing The Individual Insurance Market," 30 Aug. 2017
St. Tammany Parish government is mapping road closures in real time on its website.

— NOLA.com, "Harvey heads to Louisiana, continues to pound Houston: Live updates," 29 Aug. 2017
To fill the void, the government passed a law subsidizing the importation of foreign contract workers.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Remains of 19th-Century Chinese Laborers Found at Pyramid in Peru," 29 Aug. 2017
USA TODAY College reached out to ASU’s student government for comment but has not received a response.

— nashwa bawab, USA TODAY College, "Appalachian State students greeted by white supremacy banner," 25 Aug. 2017

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

See Words from the same year

government Synonyms

Synonyms

administration, authority, governance, rule, jurisdiction, regime (also régime), regimen

Related Words

reign; dominion, power, sovereignty (also sovranty), supremacy, sway; command, leadership; direction, management, regulation, superintendence, supervision; autocracy, dictatorship, domination, hegemony, mastery, oppression, subjugation, tyranny

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