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View synonyms for

government

[ guhv-ern-muhnt, ‑e-uhnt ]

noun

  1. the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.; political administration:

    Government is necessary to the existence of civilized society.

  2. the form or system of rule by which a state, community, etc., is governed:

    monarchical government; episcopal government.

  3. the governing body of persons in a state, community, etc.; administration.
  4. a branch or service of the supreme authority of a state or nation, taken as representing the whole:

    a dam built by the government.

  5. (in some parliamentary systems, as that of the United Kingdom)
    1. the particular group of persons forming the cabinet at any given time:

      The prime minister has formed a new government.

    2. the parliament along with the cabinet:

      The government has fallen.

  6. direction; control; management; rule:

    the government of one's conduct.

  7. a district governed; province.
  8. Grammar. the extablished usage that requires that one word in a sentence should cause another to be of a particular form:

    the government of the verb by its subject.



government

/ ˌɡʌvəˈmɛntəl; ˌɡʌvənˈmɛntəl; ˈɡʌvənmənt; ˈɡʌvəmənt /

noun

  1. the exercise of political authority over the actions, affairs, etc, of a political unit, people, etc, as well as the performance of certain functions for this unit or body; the action of governing; political rule and administration
  2. the system or form by which a community, etc, is ruled

    tyrannical government

    1. the executive policy-making body of a political unit, community, etc; ministry or administration

      yesterday we got a new government

    2. ( capital when of a specific country )

      the British Government

    1. the state and its administration

      blame it on the government

    2. ( as modifier )

      a government agency

  3. regulation; direction
  4. grammar the determination of the form of one word by another word
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Grammar Note

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Pronunciation Note

Normal phonological processes are reflected in a variety of pronunciations for government. Most commonly, the first [n] of [guhv, -ern-m, uh, nt] assimilates to the immediately following [m], with the resulting identical nasal sounds coalescing to give the pronunciation [guhv, -er-m, uh, nt]. This pronunciation is considered standard and occurs throughout the U.S. For speakers in regions where postvocalic [r] is regularly lost, as along the Eastern Seaboard and in the South, the resulting pronunciation is [guhv, -, uh, -m, uh, nt] or, with loss of the medial unstressed vowel, [guhv, -m, uh, nt]. Further assimilation, in which the labiodental [v], in anticipation of the bilabial quality of the following [m], becomes the bilabial stop [b], leads in the South Midland and Southern U.S. to the pronunciation [guhb, -m, uh, nt]. See isn't.
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Derived Forms

  • governmental, adjective
  • ˌDZˈԳٲ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • DZ···ٲ [guhv-ern-, men, -tl, ‑er-, men, ‑], adjective
  • DZe·t· adverb
  • dzܲt·DZe·Գ noun
  • ԴDz·DZİ·Գ noun
  • ԴDzgDZ··t adjective
  • -DZİ·Գ adjective
  • ·DZİ·Գ noun
  • i·DZe·t adjective
  • semi·DZe·t· adverb
  • ܲ·DZİ·Գ noun
  • ܲd·DZİ·Գ noun
  • ܲgDZ··t adjective
  • ܲgDZ··t·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of government1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Old French word governement. See govern, -ment
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The thousands of claims tell the story of a county government that did little to screen for abusers, allowing a sprawling network of facilities for young people to become hunting grounds for predators.

From

Those opposing it said the idea was divisive, would create special "classes" of citizens where some have more rights than others, and the new advisory body would slow government decision-making.

From

The government has made very little progress in preparing the UK for the growing threats posed by rising temperatures since coming to power, its climate watchdog has warned.

From

They had already onboarded all of their authors — which included federal government employees and researchers from academia and nonprofits — and submitted a preliminary draft for review.

From

A Treasury Committee report into cash acceptance stopped short of recommending a change in the law, but said the government had to improve its monitoring of the issue.

From

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governessgovernmentalism