Definition of government
1
: 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)
: administration sense 4b
(2)
: such a group in a parliamentary system constituted by the cabinet or by the ministry
2a
: 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
4
: the continuous exercise of authority over and the performance of functions for a political unit : rule
5
: political science
studied economics and government
6a
: the office, authority, or function of governing
b
obsolete
: the term during which a governing official holds office
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for government
The first known use of government was in the 15th century
See more words from the same century