bureaucracy

B2
Pronunciation
/bjʊəˈɹɒkɹəsi/
/bjʊˈɹɑːkɹəsi/
Noun
4 definition(s)
1 Definition

Government by bureaus or their administrators or officers.

2 Definition

(organizational theory) A system of administration based upon organisation into bureaus, division of labour, a hierarchy of authority, etc., designed to dispose of a large body of work in a routine manner.

Example Sentences
  • At that time the administration replaced the system of patronage in the civil service with a bureaucracy.
3 Definition

The body of officers and administrators, especially of a government.

Example Sentences
  • The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy. (apocryphal quip)
4 Definition

Excessive red tape and routine in any administration, body or behaviour.

Example Sentences
  • The head of the civil service promised to clamp down on bureaucracy.