Government departments and public bodies

the activity of governing a country or region

a government department, or an organization connected with a government, that deals with a particular subject

a part of the government with a particular responsibility. The three branches of government are the legislative branch (=the parliament that makes laws), the executive branch (=the president or ministers who govern according to those laws), and the judicial branch (=the judges and courts who make certain that the laws are used correctly).

the Bureau (noun)

mainly American a government department or part of a government department

central government (noun)

the government of a whole country

the civil service (noun)

a country’s government departments and the people who work in them

Corp. (abbreviation)

corporation

corporation (noun)

British the local government of a city

council (noun)

an organization that provides local government in a city, county etc

council (noun)

belonging to or relating to a council

customs (noun)

economics a government department that collects taxes on goods that people bring into a country

the Diplomatic Service ()

the government department that includes all the diplomats and other people working in embassies in foreign countries

directorate (noun)

a part of a government department that deals with a particular area of activity

the Exchequer (noun)

Britishmainly journalism the Treasury

the executive (noun)

legal the part of government that makes certain that laws are being used as planned. The other two parts of government are the legislature and the judiciary.

high commission (noun)

the office that the government of one Commonwealth country has in another Commonwealth country, similar to an embassy

intelligence (noun)

a government organization that collects information about the secret plans and activities of a foreign government, enemy etc

the Interior (noun)

the government department that is responsible for things that happen within a country, not for relations between that country and others

the judiciary (noun)

the part of government that consists of all the judges and courts in a country. The other two parts of government are the executive and the legislature.

legation (noun)

an office in a foreign country where representatives of your own government work or live. It is less important than an embassy.

local authority (noun)

British in the UK, the organization in a particular area or city that is responsible for providing public services

local government (noun)

the organizations that provide public services in a particular town or area, controlled by officials chosen in local elections

ministry (noun)

a government department in the UK and some other countries, or the building from which it operates

municipality (noun)

the local government of a place

national assembly (noun)

in some countries, an elected institution that has the power to rule

NDPB (noun)

non-departmental public body: an organization that advises the government on particular policy areas or that provides a public service, but is not a government department

NGO (noun)

non-governmental organization: an organization which is neither a government department, nor a business operating for profit. NGOs are often paid for by the government and may work with government departments, but they are independent of the government.

office (noun)

a government department

officialdom (noun)

government departments, or the people who work in them. This word usually shows that you dislike these people, because you think they are not helpful.

Parliament (noun)

the main law-making institution in some countries. In the UK, Parliament consists of politicians elected to the House of Commons and members of the House of Lords

press office (noun)

a department of a government or other organization that is responsible for dealing with journalists

public body (noun)

an organization whose work is part of the process of government, but is not a government department

secretariat (noun)

a government department

secret service (noun)

a government department that secret agents work for

security service (noun)

a government organization that deals with a country’s security

the separation of powers (noun)

the principle by which the responsibilities of the state are separated into distinct branches, usually the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive, in order to stop any one branch having too much power

service (noun)

an organization that does work for a government

the Treasury (noun)

the government department responsible for a country’s financial matters

Synonyms and antonyms of Government departments and public bodies in British Thesaurus