democracy

noun

de·​moc·​ra·​cy di-ˈmä-krə-sē 

plural democracies

1

a

: 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

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Synonyms

• republic
• self-government
• self-rule

Example Sentences

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.

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Recent Examples on the Web

King’s political activism during 1963 reimagined American democracy on both an intimate and expansive scale, introducing a new lexicon for citizenship. —Peniel E. Joseph, CNN, 14 Jan. 2023

According to reports, China has 350 nuclear warheads, while India, the world’s largest democracy, has 160 nuclear warheads. —Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 13 Jan. 2023

Pentagon officials said the restructuring is partly to deal with China’s growing military activity and presence, including around the island of Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that the Chinese Communist Party intends to bring under its rule. —Edward Wong, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Jan. 2023

In last year’s speech, President Biden highlighted the coordinated response of the U.S. and allies to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and tried to rally Americans behind defending democracy. —Andrew Restuccia, WSJ, 13 Jan. 2023

The El Paso Democrat will explore the present and future of U.S. democracy using Texas as a case study, according to the university’s Institute of Politics. —Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 12 Jan. 2023

Even so, Bolsonaro's supporters stormed the three pillars of Brazil’s federal government on Sunday – the presidential palace, the Congress and the Supreme Court – and brought democracy to a temporary halt. —David Jackson, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023

But today in this village, 21 miles northwest of Ramallah, all community works are highly organized, drawing on corporate efficiency and the participatory spirit of town hall democracy. —Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Jan. 2023

Bolsonaro also tweeted on Sunday that while peaceful demonstrations were part of a democracy, invasions of public buildings were antithetical to the rule of law. —Sanya Mansoor, Time, 11 Jan. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French democracie, democratie, borrowed from Late Latin dēmocratia, borrowed from Greek dēmokratía, from dēmo- demo- + -kratia -cracy

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing democracy

• pure democracy
• social democracy

• pure democracy
• social democracy

Kids Definition

democracy

noun

de·​moc·​ra·​cy di-ˈmäk-rə-sē 

plural democracies

1

a

: government by the people

especially : rule of the majority

b

: government in which the supreme power is held by the people and used by them directly or indirectly through representation

2

: a political unit (as a nation) that has a democratic government

3

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

Legal Definition

democracy

noun

de·​moc·​ra·​cy di-ˈmä-krə-sē 

plural democracies

1

a

: 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

democratic

ˌde-mə-ˈkra-tik 

adjective

democratically adverb