gov‧ern‧ment S2 W1 / ɡʌv ə mənt, ɡʌv ə nmənt $ ɡʌvərn- / 名词
1 ( also Government ) [ C usually singular also + 复数形式 动词 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 [不可数名词] a form or system of government :
Most people in the country support the return to democratic government. → local government , central government
3 [不可数名词] 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 [不可数名词] 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
动词
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 [可数和不可数名词] 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 [可数名词] 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 [可数名词] a government, especially one that was not elected fairly or that you disapprove of : Most people opposed the apartheid regime.
the executive [单数形式] 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 [可数和不可数名词] 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 [可数名词] 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 [可数和不可数名词] / mɒnəki $ mɑnərki / 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 [可数和不可数名词] 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 形容词 [仅用于名词前] 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 [可数名词] 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.