regime

noun

re·​gime rā-ˈzhēm 

ri-

also ri-ˈjēm

variants or less commonly régime

1

a

: a form of government

a socialist regime

b

: a government in power

opposes the new military regime

c

: a period of rule

during the dictator's regime

d

: mode of rule or management

the regime of secrecy surrounding the investigation

2

a

: regimen sense 1

b

: a regular pattern of occurrence or action (as of seasonal rainfall)

c

: the characteristic behavior or orderly procedure of a natural phenomenon or process

Synonyms of regime

• government
• rule
• administration
• governance

Examples of regime in a Sentence

The new regime is sure to fall.

Under the new regime, all workers must file a weekly report.

He was put on a strict exercise regime.

Recent Examples on the Web

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that Khamenei remains the decisive figure in Iran’s system even as the regime faces pressure at home and abroad. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026

None of them wanted the Assad regime to collapse. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026

From Bobby Slowik to Sean Duggan to Chris Tabor, the word was repeated ad nauseam on Wednesday, somewhat indicating how this new regime will operate. —Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026

Those protests began in Tehran in late December in response to the collapse of the Iranian currency and the worsening of economic conditions, and then quickly took on a political character -- with crowds on the streets openly calling for regime change. —Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French régime, from Old French regimen, regime, from Late Latin regimin-, regimen

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing regime

• puppet regime

Rhymes for regime

• abeam
• airstream
• bloodstream
• daydream
• downstream
• esteem
• extreme
• grapheme
• hakim
• hornbeam
• lexeme
• mainstream

Kids Definition

regime

noun

re·​gime

variants also régime

rā-ˈzhēm 

ri-

1

a

: regimen sense 1

b

: a regular pattern of doing something

2

a

: a method of rule or management

b

: a form of government or administration

especially : a governmental or social system

c

: a period of rule of a regime

Medical Definition

regime

noun

re·​gime

rā-ˈzhēm, ri- also ri-ˈjēm

: regimen

Legal Definition

regime

noun

re·​gime

rā-ˈzhēm, ri-

: a system of principles, rules, or regulations for administration (as of property)

the mandatory consecutive sentencing regime

—People v. Garcia, 642 N.E.2d 1077 (1994)

community property regime

—used especially in the civil law of Louisiana

Note: Under the Louisiana Civil Code there are various regimes for various types of property, such as community or separate property. These regimes, while usually established by the law, may also be modified or created by agreement of the parties.