republic
a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.
any body of persons viewed as a commonwealth.
a state in which the head of government is not a monarch or other hereditary head of state.
(initial capital letter) any of the five periods of republican government in France.: Compare First Republic, Second Republic, Third Republic, Fourth Republic, Fifth Republic.
(initial capital letter, italics) a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) by Plato dealing with the composition and structure of the ideal state.
Origin of republic
1Other words from republic
- sem·i·re·pub·lic, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use republic in a sentence
Many in the neighboring North Caucasus republics say they envy Chechnya its strong leader.
To the north, Jowzjan borders on the Amu Darya River and Turkmenistan, a former part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
The Warlord Who Defines Afghanistan: An Excerpt From Bruce Riedel’s ’What We Won’ | Bruce Riedel | July 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe noted that none of the militaries of the former Soviet republics could withstand a full-scale Russian invasion.
In 1991, in fact, President George H.W. Bush argued against what he called “suicidal nationalism” in the former Soviet republics.
For almost fifteen years now, the two republics have squabbled over money, European Union status and, you guessed it, borders.
Half of This Bar Is in Slovenia, the Other Half Is in Croatia | Jeff Campagna | January 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
What had turned the Italian republics of the middle ages into lordships and duchies?
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington MacaulayWe are a republic, or rather a cluster of republics under an imperfectly centralized national government.
Monarchies may capitulate, republics die and bear their testimony even to martyrdom.
The Life of Mazzini | Bolton KingBut, alas, how many Presidents they have to have in these Spanish republics to round out the tally with Destiny!
Gardens of the Caribbees, v. 1/2 | Ida May Hill StarrThe various republics of Greece and the republic of Rome were nothing but oligarchies, often atrociously tyrannical.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 3 of 8 | Various
British Dictionary definitions for republic
/ (rɪˈpʌblɪk) /
a form of government in which the people or their elected representatives possess the supreme power
a political or national unit possessing such a form of government
a constitutional form in which the head of state is an elected or nominated president
any community or group that resembles a political republic in that its members or elements exhibit a general equality, shared interests, etc: the republic of letters
Origin of republic
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for republic
A form of government in which power is explicitly vested in the people, who in turn exercise their power through elected representatives. Today, the terms republic and democracy are virtually interchangeable, but historically the two differed. Democracy implied direct rule by the people, all of whom were equal, whereas republic implied a system of government in which the will of the people was mediated by representatives, who might be wiser and better educated than the average person. In the early American republic, for example, the requirement that voters own property and the establishment of institutions such as the Electoral College were intended to cushion the government from the direct expression of the popular will.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse