Word
government
Phoneticsgov·ern·ment, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɡəvɝmənt/
UK/ɡˈʌvənmənt/
Definitions
01the ruling body
A2 · Elementary Countable noun
n. the group of people who officially control a country or state.
n. the executive and legislative body with the authority to make and enforce laws for a nation or region.
“The government announced new rules for schools this morning.”
“The national government is currently debating a series of fiscal reforms intended to stabilise the economy before the next election cycle.”
Usage
Often takes a singular verb in American English and a plural verb in British English.
Synonyms
02the system of ruling
B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the system or method used to control a country.
n. the system of social control under which the right to make laws is vested in a particular group.
“Many people believe that a democratic government is the best system.”
“The transition from a colonial administration to a representative government required significant structural changes to the legal system.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03period of rule
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. the time when a specific leader or party is in power.
n. the period of time during which a particular administration or ministry holds office.
“Life in the city changed a lot during the previous government.”
“Historians often argue that the government of the 1990s failed to address the underlying causes of the housing crisis.”
Synonyms
04grammatical control
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Science Technical
n. the way one word in a sentence affects the form of another word.
n. the relationship between a word and its dependents, where one word determines the case or form of another.
“In some languages, the government of a verb determines the case of the noun.”
“The professor explained the rules of syntactic government, specifically how certain prepositions require the dative case in German.”
Teaching tip
This is a highly specialised linguistic term; students will rarely encounter it outside of advanced grammar or linguistics courses.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “government” in context.
Real-World Examples
“A fast-growing protest by high-school students over long hours, teacher shortages and decaying facilities has escalated into “urban violence”, the French government has warned, as it said many schools would switch to online classes to protect teachers and pupils.” “The government’s new chatbot won’t talk politics, but it will fact-check Trump.” “The White House launched America.gov. It promises "simple answers only from official government sources.” Etymology
From Middle English governement, from Old French governement (modern French gouvernement), from governer (see govern) + -ment. Morphologically govern + -ment. Displaced native Old English gerec, leodweard, ræden, rǣding and ealdordōm.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
Idioms
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A2 · ElementaryOxford
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/government