government
[noun]
Synonyms:
- rule, administration, authority, governance, sovereignty, statecraft
- executive, administration, ministry, powers-that-be, regime

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English Thesaurus: government, administration, regime, the executive, democracy, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

gov‧ern‧ment S2 W1 /ˈɡʌvəmənt, ˈɡʌvənmənt $ ˈɡʌvərn-/ 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).

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

government
noun
I. people in control of a country
ADJ. central, federal, local, national, provincial, regional | Communist, Conservative, Labour, etc. the country's new Communist government
left-wing, right-wing | coalition | minority The socialists won 42% of the seats and formed a minority government.
caretaker, interim, transitional The president dissolved the assembly and swore in an interim government.
military | puppet | French, Western, etc. The report on world poverty calls for urgent action from Western governments.
VERB + GOVERNMENT elect The present government was elected last year.
form A nre government was formed in September of that year.
install A puppet government was installed as the occupying forces withdrew.
swear in | head, run a new government headed by a former military leader
bring down, destabilize, oust, overthrow, topple This crisis could bring down the British government. The group aims to overthrow the military government.
GOVERNMENT + VERB come to power | take office On May 23 a coalition government took office.
fall, resign a national emergency that could cause the government to fall
announce sth The government announced the cancellation of the dam project.
introduce sth, launch sth
GOVERNMENT + NOUN agency, body, department | funds, money | aid, assistance, backing, funding, grant, subsidy, support | expenditure, spending | cuts The hospital has been hit by government cuts.
control | intervention, involvement calls for government intervention in the dispute
minister, official, representative, spokesman | sources According to government sources, two people died in the incident.
figures, statistics | post | reshuffle The former minister was relieved of his post in last month's extensive government reshuffle.
decisions, legislation, measures, plans, policy, proposals | report | propaganda
PREP. in ~ a problem facing whichever party is in government
under a/the ~ measures that were introduced under the last government
PHRASES a change of government It is time we had a change of government.
the government of the day This was a decision taken by the government of the day.
a member of a government The prime minister has been meeting members of the French government.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

government
II. act of governing
ADJ. democratic, representative | firm, good, strong We need strong government to take the country through this crisis.
weak

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

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 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
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.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

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.
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
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.
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.
controversy about the institution of monarchy
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.
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
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.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲