Definition of “government” - English Dictionary

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“government” in English

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governmentnoun

uk /ˈɡʌv.ən.mənt/ /ˈɡʌv.əm.mənt/ us /ˈɡʌv.ɚn.mənt/

government noun (GROUP)

B1 [ C, + sing/pl verb ] written abbreviation govt the group of people who officially control a country:

the government of Israel

The government is/are expected to announce its/their tax proposals today.

The minister has announced that there will be no change in government policy.

Senior government officials will be attending a meeting tomorrow.

Theatre companies are very concerned about cuts in government grants to the arts.

A government enquiry has been launched.

More examples

The government is spending millions of dollars in its attempt to combat drug abuse.
Unlike the present government, we believe in serving the community.
The opposition party have been in such disorder for so long that they pose no real threat to the present government.
The people rebelled against the harsh new government.
The government has said that it will not be intimidated by terrorist threats.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Ruling & governing

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government noun (SYSTEM)

B2 [ U ] the system used for controlling a country, city, or group of people:

The 1990s saw a shift to democratic government in Eastern Europe.

What this state needs is really strong government.

B2 [ U ] the activities involved in controlling a country, city, group of people, etc.:

The party that was elected to power has no experience of government.

UK The party was in government (= controlled the country) for four years in the 1960s.

Her/His Majesty's Government

› the government of the UK

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Systems of government

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Ruling & governing

Government ministers & civil servants

(Definition of “government” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“government” in American English

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(Definition of “government” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“government” in Business English

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governmentnoun

uk /ˈɡʌvənmənt/ us written abbreviation govt GOVERNMENT

› [ C ] an organization that officially manages and controls a country or region, creating laws, collecting taxes, providing public services, etc.:

The two governments have signed an agreement.

This fiscal year would mark the third government surplus in a row for the first time in over 50 years.

a federal/central/local/government

government official/regulator/employee Global business leaders and government officials gathered in Spain Friday for a meeting aimed at breaking down remaining trade barriers.

government agency/department Some government agencies have worked well together to combat terrorist financing.

government policy/program/services

the Chinese/Italian/British government The Chinese government has implemented economic reforms.

› [ U ] the people, systems, etc. that manage or control a country or region:

The goal is to identify opportunities to reduce the cost of government.

a democratic form of government.

The President spoke of restoring confidence in government.

form a government

› to bring political parties together to make a government when none of them has received a large enough number of votes in an election to control the government: