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military government

military government

7 5.6
The army rules a country after it takes power
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪlɪˌtɛri ˈɡʌvərnmənt/
  • Formal
translation icon : gobierno militar
  • Indeed, Egypt's interim military government quickly undertook a rapprochement with Iran.
  • successive military governments
  • new military government
  • withdrawal of the military government

And it was like that Nicaragua, we were funding the rebels in El Salvador, we were funding the military government.

Examples

  • The Chilean military government was at its weakest during the economic crisis of 1983-85.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The need to confront human rights abuses during the military government was another potentially explosive political issue.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Neither our embassy down there, nor the military government knows where he is.

  • As would be expected, those belonging to political parties that opposed the military government were more supportive of the invasion.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The country was run by a military government, with corruption and disease running rampant.

    Blog text (26)
  • The Allies instated a military government on Elba.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • After years of turmoil, the military government is moving toward political reform.

  • The U.S. and Britain backed the military government in its fight against left-wing guerrilla groups.

  • The need to confront human rights abuses during the military government was another potentially explosive political issue.

Synonyms

junta
vsmilitary government
  • Literature
18 8.1

A group of military officers who take control of a country by force

is a form of state rule carried out by armed forces rather than civilians
military junta
vsmilitary government
  • Literature
4 8.5

A group of army officers who take control of a country by force

is an administration run by armed forces often after a coup
stratocracy
vsmilitary government
  • Specialized
9.9

A government where the military controls the country

is often a temporary takeover after a coup or during martial law

How Military

martial law
  • Formal
37 7.7
junta
  • Literature
18 8.1
military government
  • Formal
7 5.6
civilian
574 2.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

military + government

The meaning 'a government administered by military authorities' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'military' (relating to soldiers/armed forces) with 'government' (the body that exercises state authority). This straightforward compositional noun–noun pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Military government paints a simple picture: military (soldiers and officers) sitting in government offices and making the rules instead of civilians. This usually happens after a coup (when the army takes power), so the phrase means 'a government run by the armed forces'.