English > authorities: 1 sense > noun 1, group| Meaning | The organization that is the governing authority of a political unit. |
|---|
| Example | "the matter was referred to higher authorities" |
|---|
| Synonyms | government, regime |
|---|
| Category | government, governing, governance, government activity, administration | The act of governing |
|---|
| Members | division | An administrative unit in government or business |
|---|
| executive | persons who administer the law |
| government department | A department of government |
| government officials, officialdom | People elected or appointed to administer a government |
| judiciary, bench | persons who administer justice |
| legislature, legislative assembly, legislative body, general assembly, law-makers | persons who make or amend or repeal laws |
| Parts | administration, governance, governing body, establishment, brass, organization, organisation | The persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something |
|---|
| judiciary, judicature, judicatory, judicial system | The system of law courts that administer justice and constitute the judicial branch of government |
| Narrower | Downing Street | The British government |
|---|
| ancien regime | A political and social system that no longer governs (especially the system that existed in France before the French Revolution) |
| authoritarian state, authoritarian regime | A government that concentrates political power in an authority not responsible to the people |
| bureaucracy | A government that is administered primarily by bureaus that are staffed with nonelective officials |
| court, royal court | The sovereign and his advisers who are the governing power of a state / state |
| empire | A group of countries under a single authority |
| federal government | A government with strong central powers |
| government-in-exile | A temporary government moved to or formed in a foreign land by exiles who hope to rule when their country is liberated |
| local government | The government of a local area |
| military government, stratocracy | government by the military and an army |
| palace | The governing group of a kingdom |
| papacy, pontificate | The government of the Roman Catholic Church |
| puppet government, puppet state, pupet regime | A government that is appointed by and whose affairs are directed by an outside authority that may impose hardships on those governed |
| state | The group of people comprising the government of a sovereign state |
| state government | The government of a state in the United States |
| totalitarian state, totalitation regime | A government that subordinates the individual to the state and strictly controls all aspects of life by coercive measures |
| Broader | polity | A politically organized unit |
|---|
| Spanish | autoridad, gobierno, régimen |
|---|
| Catalan | autoritat, govern, règim |
|---|
