kleptocracy
noun
klep·toc·ra·cy
klep-ˈtä-krə-sē 
plural kleptocracies
: government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed
also
: a particular government of this kind
Examples of kleptocracy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One of the Ukrainians was a former K.G.B. agent who had become a Ukrainian intelligence operative, who developed high-level Ukrainian government contacts through his leadership of a foundation dedicated to tracking kleptocracy, according to Mr. Buma’s statement.
—
Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 20 May 2024
Successive Sudanese regimes have constructed a kleptocracy built on violence and repression, and the country is now being relentlessly plundered by foreign actors.
—John Prendergast, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2024
Russia is becoming a kleptocracy, with Putin cannibalizing the entire productive economy to fund his whims.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2023
Since the mid-2000s, shelves of academic research have been generated that study Russian kleptocracy, the idea that Russia is ruled by a clique of people primarily interested in illicitly extracting wealth from the state and the economy.
—Sam Greene, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for kleptocracy 
Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 20 May 2024
Successive Sudanese regimes have constructed a kleptocracy built on violence and repression, and the country is now being relentlessly plundered by foreign actors.
—John Prendergast, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2024
Russia is becoming a kleptocracy, with Putin cannibalizing the entire productive economy to fund his whims.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2023
Since the mid-2000s, shelves of academic research have been generated that study Russian kleptocracy, the idea that Russia is ruled by a clique of people primarily interested in illicitly extracting wealth from the state and the economy.
—Sam Greene, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2023
See all Example Sentences for kleptocracy
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kleptocracy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Kleptocracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kleptocracy. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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