government

noun

The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization.

The state and its administration viewed as the ruling political power.

The tenure of a head of government; the ministry or administration led by a specified individual.

In a parliamentary system, the political party or coalition in power; its condition of being in power.

(uncountable) The management or control of a system.

(grammar, linguistics) The relationship between a word and its dependents.

(debating) The team tasked with presenting and speaking in favour of a resolution, as opposed to the opposition.

Ellipsis of government name, one's legal name according to a government. [One's (partial or full) legal name, as opposed to one's nickname or street name; one's government-recognized name.]

Roots

gubernaregovern- · Latin · steer, govern

Synonyms for government

administrationn governancen regimen politicsn ministryn staten

Synonyms & related words for government

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of government — including administration, governance, regime, politics, ministry, state. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to government

Explore words related to government — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include duarchy, progovernment, stratocracy, authorities, isocracy, governing, federalese, governmentally. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for government

Common synonyms for government include administration, governance, regime, politics, ministry, state — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does government come from?

The word government breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root govern-, from Latin gubernare (“steer, govern”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.