Definition of "government" [gov•ern•ment]

• The act or process of governing, especially the control and administration of public policy in a political unit. (noun)
• The office, function, or authority of a governing individual or body. (noun)
• Exercise of authority in a political unit; rule. (noun)
• The agency or apparatus through which a governing individual or body functions and exercises authority. (noun)
• A governing body or organization, as: (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But if the duty of the government is to prevent violations of the rights of individuals (and I believe it is) and punish those violations in proportion to their severity (seems reasonable) then, perhaps, these activities aren't so very far apart as far as * government* is concerned?"
• "The U.S. government has seldom been perfect, but it has been very helpful to its citizens, providing everything from farm-to-market roads, to interstate highways, to silicon chips yes, Fairchild conductor built them, but for the *government* first, to the internet."
• "“When someone asks us whether we want a sectarian government the answer is ’no we do not want a sectarian government’ — not because the U.S. ambassador says so or issues a warning. '"