as in democracy
government in which the supreme power is held by the people and used by them directly or indirectly through representation
when asked by a passerby what sort of government the constitutional convention had formulated for the new nation, Benjamin Franklin memorably replied, "A republic, if you can keep it"
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Recent Examples of republic
The world’s first Black republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, was declared free and independent on Jan. 1, 1804, after enslaved Africans successfully rose in rebellion against their French colonizers.
—
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
Basic information about the Civil War, the Great Depression and World War II yields a sense that the present political moment is not the only perilous time our republic has ever faced.
—Jeremy P. Shapiro, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2025
Ukraine skeptics like Vice President JD Vance are arguing that America has other concerns besides sorting out fights between Russia and former Soviet republics.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Blue is prominent in the flag of Haiti, the first Black independent republic.
—Ira Porter, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for republic 
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
Basic information about the Civil War, the Great Depression and World War II yields a sense that the present political moment is not the only perilous time our republic has ever faced.
—Jeremy P. Shapiro, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2025
Ukraine skeptics like Vice President JD Vance are arguing that America has other concerns besides sorting out fights between Russia and former Soviet republics.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Blue is prominent in the flag of Haiti, the first Black independent republic.
—Ira Porter, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for republic
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Cite this Entry
“Republic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/republic. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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