republic

noun

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re·pub·lic | \ ri-ˈpə-blik

Definition of republic

1a(1) : a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president

(2) : a political unit (such as a nation) having such a form of government

b(1) : a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law

(2) : a political unit (such as a nation) having such a form of government

c : a usually specified republican government of a political unit the French Fourth Republic

2 : a body of persons freely engaged in a specified activity the republic of letters

3 : a constituent political and territorial unit of the former nations of Czechoslovakia, the U.S.S.R., or Yugoslavia

Synonyms Is the United States a democracy or a republic? More Example Sentences Learn More about republic

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Is the United States a democracy or a republic?

One of the most commonly encountered questions about the word democracy has nothing to do with its spelling or pronunciation, and isn’t even directly related to the meaning of the word itself. That question is “is the United States a democracy or a republic?” The answer to this, as with so many other questions about meaning, may be phrased as some form of “it depends.”

Some people assert that a country calling itself a democracy must be engaged in direct (or pure) democracy, in which the people of a state or region vote directly for policies, rather than elect representatives who make choices on their behalf. People who follow this line of reasoning hold that the United States is more properly described as a republic, using the following definition of that word: "a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law."

However, both democracy and republic have more than a single meaning, and one of the definitions we provide for democracy closely resembles the definition of republic given above: "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."

So if someone asks you if the United States is a democracy or a republic, you may safely answer the question with either “both” or “it depends.”

Examples of republic in a Sentence

when asked by a passerby what sort of government the constitutional convention had formulated for the new nation, Benjamin Franklin memorably replied, “A republic, if you can keep it”

Recent Examples on the Web What a valid concept if one genuinely cares about how our democratic republic actually functions under the untold influence of out-of-state money. — Mike Masterson, Arkansas Online, "MASTERSON ONLINE: Forgoing transparency," 24 Apr. 2021 The Armenian genocide of 1915 to 1918 claimed the lives of more than 1 million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, which became the modern republic of Turkey. — Los Angeles Times, "Armenian American activists welcome U.S. recognition of genocide but say fight isn’t over," 24 Apr. 2021 Time might have been better spent boning up on another figure from the republic’s early history, John C. Calhoun. — The Economist, "The EU’s Calhounian moment," 17 Apr. 2021 At a moment when the American republic is deeply divided, the family that faithfully serves Britain's democracy as the figurehead of state has an enduring appeal. — Philip Terzian, Washington Examiner, "Prince Philip, 1921-2021," 15 Apr. 2021 This Catholic form of revanchism would obliterate church-state barriers and superimpose a terrestrial layer of morality and control, under the auspices of natural law, to root out deviance and knit together the republic. — Peter Hammond Schwartz, The New Republic, "Originalism Is Dead. Long Live Catholic Natural Law.," 3 Feb. 2021 As cars sped down Fifth Avenue, the consular official held a blowtorch, lit a flame, and drew circles of burgundy wax on the wood, then stamped it with the official seal of the French republic. — Meg Bernhard, The New Yorker, "The Long Trip Home," 11 Apr. 2021 The republic may sometimes have upheld the revolution’s values and embraced ardent adherents like the Camondos, but prejudice always shadowed the idealism. — The Economist, "The tragedy of Jewish art collectors in pre-war Paris," 10 Apr. 2021 That the republic would be better served by having fewer — but better — voters? — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, "Why Not Fewer Voters?," 6 Apr. 2021

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

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Last Updated

9 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Republic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/republic. Accessed 10 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for republic

republic

noun

English Language Learners Definition of republic

: a country that is governed by elected representatives and by an elected leader (such as a president) rather than by a king or queen

See the full definition for republic in the English Language Learners Dictionary

republic

noun

re·pub·lic | \ ri-ˈpə-blik

Kids Definition of republic

: a country with elected representatives and an elected chief of state who is not a monarch and who is usually a president

republic

noun

re·pub·lic

Legal Definition of republic

1 : a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president also : a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government

2 : a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law also : a political unit (as a nation) having such a form of government

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