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Glite Dictionary
people's republic

people's republic

15 4.7
A country ruled by a socialist or communist government that says it represents the people
  • noun
  • /ˈpipəlz rɪˈpʌblɪk/
  • Formal
translation icon : República Popular
  • The establishment of the People's Republic in 1949 augured an era of self-determination, prosperity, and democracy.
  • the People's Republic of China
  • the People's Republic of China (PRC)
  • the government of the People's Republic

Examples

  • Welcome to the People's Republic of China.

  • Our constitution states that all power in the People's Republic of China belongs to the people.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Welcome to the People's Republic of China.

    2012 (2009)

  • On behalf of the People's Republic of China, thank you for coming.

    Rush Hour (1998)

  • The People's Republic of North Korea paid for it.

    Night Watch (1995)

  • Since July 1, 1997, Hong Kong has been a "special administrative region" of the People's Republic of China.

    Academic text (2015)

  • This is Minister Tang, our liaison from the People's Republic of China.

    Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

  • Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, 157 countries have established diplomatic relations with China.

    Academic text (1999)

  • On behalf of the People's Republic of China, thank you for coming.

  • The People's Republic of North Korea paid for it.

Synonyms

republic
vspeople's republic
∞ 3.4

A country with no king or queen where people elect leaders

is more ideologically specific, usually aligned with socialist or communist ideas

Antonyms

dictatorship
157 4.8

A government where one person or a small group has all power and does not allow political opposition

autocracy
5 8.2

A government in which one person has all power

Surface Forms

people's republic singular
people's republics plural

Morphology

people's + republic

A B1 learner who knows 'people'/'people's' and 'republic' can readily infer the basic compositional sense 'a republic of/for the people', so the core meaning is accessible from the constituents. However, the conventional label 'People's Republic' often carries specific ideological connotations (e.g. socialist/communist state) that are not predictable from the words alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The name people's republic comes from the idea that a republic belongs to the people. After a revolution, leaders often called their new country a people's republic to show it was 'for the people', so today the phrase usually means a state that says it follows 'socialist' or 'communist' ideas.