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government department

government department

6 2.5
A part of government that runs public services like schools
  • noun
  • /ˈɡʌvərnmənt dɪˈpɑrtmənt/
translation icon : departamento gubernamental
  • The resulting structure would strengthen the ability of U.S. government departments to improve the work of their international counterpart agencies.
  • central government departments
  • most government departments
  • government department or agency

If you're going to manage a government department, you need to know your budget.

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Examples

  • Forced marriage is one of the topics addressed by this government department.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Several government departments failed to pay rent or utility bills on time, leading to disruption of services.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Have you ever tried to get a government department to do anything for you?

    Blog text (12)
  • You would not expect a government department to work without a manager, would you?

    Blog text (19)
  • Sacrifices are being made in every government department, including crucial areas of defense spending.

  • As a consequence, most central government departments are involved.

    Academic text (1995)
  • If you're going to manage a government department, you need to know your budget.

  • The allocation of responsibilities between government departments and enterprises is often unclear.

    Academic text (1998)
  • ONE News in New Zealand reveals a government department has had a series of privacy breaches.

    Blog text (15)
  • The government department responsible for education announced new funding for schools.

Synonyms

department
vsgovernment department
1.8

A part of a company or organization that does a particular job

refers specifically to a public administration division handling services and policies
bureau
vsgovernment department
354 5.8

A government department that deals with a specific area, like investigations

is a public administrative division focused on a single area of work
ministry
vsgovernment department
  • UK
147 3.7

A government department that deals with a specific public matter like health or finance

is a public administration unit responsible for a specific area of affairs
government agency
vsgovernment department
87 3.1

An official part of the government that provides a public service

is an organization within public administration focused on specific services
organ
vsgovernment department
  • Formal
42 5.5

A part of an organization, often a government, that has a particular job

is the formal term for a unit within public administration
dept
vsgovernment department
  • Informal
16 2.9

A part of an organization that does one kind of work, like marketing or IT

is the full formal phrase for a public administration division
directorate
vsgovernment department
3 5.8

A department in an organization that manages one area, like research or finance

is more management focused than a general administrative division

How Important

cabinet
260 3.9
ministry
  • UK
147 3.7
government department
6 2.5
agency
3.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

government + department

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'government' (state authority) with 'department' (an organizational unit) to indicate an organizational unit of the government. This noun–noun compositional pattern is common across languages and follows standard English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the phrase.

Etymology

Government department comes from the simple image of a large group split into rooms or teams: government is the whole group and a department is one 'part' that does a specific job. So, a 'government department' today means a part of the government that handles a particular public service.