gov ‧ ern ‧ ment S2 W1 /ˈɡʌv ə mənt, ˈɡʌv ə nmənt $ ˈɡʌvərn-/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ government , ↑ governor , ↑ governess , ↑ governorship ; adjective : ↑ governmental , ↑ governing , ↑ gubernatorial ; verb : ↑ govern ; adverb : governmentally]
1 . ( also Government ) [ C usually singular also + plural verb British English ] the group of people who govern a country or state:
The Government are planning further cuts in public spending.
The US government has tightened restrictions on firearms.
Neither party had the majority necessary to form a government.
under a government (=during the period of a government)
Structural reforms are unlikely under the present government.
2 . [uncountable] a form or system of government:
Most people in the country support the return to democratic government.
⇨ ↑ local government , ↑ central government
3 . [uncountable] the process or way of governing
in government
What would the opposition do if they were in government (=governing the country) ?
the importance of good government in developing countries
4 . [uncountable] American English the degree to which the government controls economic and social activities:
The protest march was really about big government (=when the government controls many activities) .
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COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + government
▪ the UK/French/Thai etc government
The UK government has offered to send aid.
▪ the Labour/Conservative/Social Democratic etc government
In August 1931, the Labour government collapsed.
▪ the Thatcher/Blair etc government
Did the Blair government do more for Africa than previous ones?
▪ a coalition government (=government made up of members of more than one political party)
The country has had a succession of weak coalition governments.
▪ a minority government (=that does not have enough politicians to control parliament)
His party had gained only enough seats to form a minority government.
▪ a left-wing/right-wing government
The new left-wing government restructured the economy.
▪ central/national government (=that deals with national rather than local things)
Funding will continue to be available from central government for further education for adults.
▪ federal government (=in the US, the government of the whole country rather than of the individual states)
The state, rather than the federal government, would have to pay the extra cost.
▪ local/state/city government
The interference in local government by central government is not just financial, but political.
■ government + NOUN
▪ government spending
Government spending on health care totals about $60 billion a year.
▪ a government minister
A government minister said that there would be an inquiry.
▪ a government official (=someone who works for a government in an official position)
He had a meeting with French scientists and government officials.
▪ a government body ( also a government agency American English ) (=an organization run by the government)
Patents are granted by the U.K. Patent Office, a government body.
▪ a government department
the government department responsible for policing
■ verbs
▪ elect a government (=vote to choose a government)
A new government was elected last October.
▪ form a government (=become the government)
The party attained the majority of seats it needed to form a government.
▪ bring down a government (=force it to lose power)
It was a major scandal that nearly brought down the government.
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THESAURUS
▪ government [uncountable and countable] the group of people who govern a country or the system they use to govern it:
The French government did not sign the agreement.
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a democratic system of government
▪ administration [countable] the government of a country, especially one such as the US, which is led by a president:
the Kennedy administration
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the problems left by the previous adminstration
▪ regime [countable] a government, especially one that was not elected fairly or that you disapprove of:
Most people opposed the apartheid regime.
▪ the executive [singular] the part of the government that makes sure that laws and decisions work well:
the separation of powers between the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary
▪ democracy [uncountable and countable] a political system in which everyone can vote to choose the government, or a country that has this system:
The transition to democracy has not been easy.
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In a democracy, people have freedom of speech.
▪ republic [countable] a country that has an elected government, and is led by a president, not a king or queen:
Mauritius became a republic in 1992.
▪ monarchy [uncountable and countable] /ˈmɒnəki $ ˈmɑːnərki/ the system of having a king or queen as the head of state, or a country that has this system:
Some monarchies have elected governments.
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controversy about the institution of monarchy
■ an undemocratic government
▪ dictatorship [uncountable and countable] a political system or country that has a ↑ dictator (=a leader who has complete power and who has not been elected) :
Argentina was a military dictatorship until 1983.
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Hungary’s years of dictatorship
▪ totalitarian adjective [only before noun] used for describing countries in which ordinary people have no power and the government has complete control over everything:
totalitarian states such as Nazi Germany
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a totalitarian dictatorship
▪ police state [countable] a country where the government strictly controls people’s freedom, for example to travel or to talk about politics:
It’s like living in a police state.