Dictionary

checks and balances

noun plural

: a system in which the different parts of an organization (such as a government) have powers that affect and control the other parts so that no part can become too powerful

Full Definition of CHECKS AND BALANCES

:  a system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power
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First Known Use of CHECKS AND BALANCES

1787

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

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