Phrase guide

regime change

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The overthrow of a government that is considered an illegitimate regime by means of an external force (especially military might), and its replacement with a new government according to the concept of political legitimacy promoted by that force.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: geopolitics, government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rollback

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Widely believed to have been coined by U.S. President Bill Clinton and popularized by his Presidential successor George W. Bush in reference to the regime of Saddam Hussein. Use of the term dates back to 1925.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَغْيِير اَلْنِظَام (taḡyīr al-niẓām) — overthrow of a government
  • Armenian: իշխանափոխություն (išxanapʻoxutʻyun) — overthrow of a government
  • Belarusian: змена рэжыму (zmjena režymu) — overthrow of a government
  • Chinese Mandarin: 政權更迭 /政权更迭 (zhèngquán gēngdié) — overthrow of a government
  • Chinese Mandarin: 政權交替 /政权交替 (zhèngquán jiāotì) — overthrow of a government
  • Chinese Mandarin: 政權更換 /政权更换 (zhèngquán gēnghuàn) — overthrow of a government
  • Chinese Mandarin: 政權變動 /政权变动 (zhèngquán biàndòng) — overthrow of a government
  • Danish: regimeskifte — overthrow of a government
  • Dutch: regimeverandering — overthrow of a government
  • Finnish: vallanvaihto — overthrow of a government
  • Finnish: hallinnon vaihto — overthrow of a government
  • Finnish: regiimin vaihto — overthrow of a government
  • French: changement de régime — overthrow of a government
  • Georgian: რეჟიმის შეცვლა (režimis šecvla) — overthrow of a government
  • German: Regimewechsel — overthrow of a government
  • German: Regimeänderung — overthrow of a government
  • Greek: αλλαγή καθεστώτος (allagí kathestótos) — overthrow of a government
  • Hindi: शासन में परिवर्तन (śāsan mẽ parivartan) — overthrow of a government
  • Italian: cambiamento di regime — overthrow of a government
  • Japanese: 政体の変更 (seitai no henkō) — overthrow of a government
  • Japanese: レジームチェンジ (rejīmu chenji) — overthrow of a government
  • Korean: 정권교체 (jeonggwon'gyoche) — overthrow of a government
  • Persian: تغییر رژیم (taġyir-e režim) — overthrow of a government
  • Persian: رژیم چنج (režim čenj) — overthrow of a government
  • Polish: transformacja ustrojowa — overthrow of a government
  • Portuguese: mudança de regime — overthrow of a government
  • Romanian: schimbare de regim — overthrow of a government
  • Russian: сме́на режи́ма (sména režíma) — overthrow of a government
  • Spanish: cambio de régimen — overthrow of a government
  • Swedish: regimskifte — overthrow of a government
  • Vietnamese: việc lật đổ chế độ — overthrow of a government
  • Vietnamese: sự thay đổi chế độ — overthrow of a government