Definition of BUREAUCRATS (original) (raw)
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In French, a bureau is a desk, so bureaucracy means basically "government by people at desks". Despite the bad-mouthing they often get, partly because they usually have to stick so close to the rules, bureaucrats do almost all the day-to-day work that keeps a government running. The idea of a bureaucracy is to split up the complicated task of governing a large country into smaller jobs that can be handled by specialists. Bureaucratic government is nothing new; the Roman empire had an enormous and complex bureaucracy, with the bureaucrats at lower levels reporting to bureaucrats above them, and so on up to the emperor himself.
Synonyms
Examples of bureaucrat in a Sentence
the bureaucrats at the town hall seem to think that we need a building permit to build a tree house
Recent Examples on the Web Fear of prosecution, or at least scrutiny, could lead bureaucrats to slow down procurement and licensing for foreign businesses. —Huong Le Thu, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2024 The aforementioned laws are hyper-regulatory before a bureaucrat picks up a pen or phone. —Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024 Since those changes the region has remained on edge, governed by a New Delhi appointed administrator and run by bureaucrats with no democratic credentials. —Aijaz Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2024 He is recruited by the FBI (represented by a smug bureaucrat and an inept field agent) to infiltrate and bring down the Brotherhood, a violent white-supremacist biker gang. —Helaine Williams, arkansasonline.com, 10 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bureaucrat
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bureaucrat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from French bureaucrate, after bureaucratie — more at bureaucracy, -crat
First Known Use
1832, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of bureaucrat was in 1832
Dictionary Entries Near bureaucrat
Cite this Entry
“Bureaucrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bureaucrat. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
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Last Updated: 14 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences
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