government

government
gov‧ern‧ment S2 W1 /ˈɡʌvəmənt, ˈɡʌvənmənt $ ˈɡʌvərn-/ noun1. (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).
     

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.
     

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. | 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
■ 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. | 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.