deep state
UK/ˈdiːp ˈsteɪt/
deep state noun: a large group of people, typically members of government agencies and the military, believed to have enduring political influence that is difficult for an administration that is voted into power to counter or dislodge.
Noun
deep state (plural deep states)
- A large group of people, typically members of government agencies and the military, believed to have enduring political influence that is difficult for an administration that is voted into power to counter or dislodge.
- The ‘deep state’ remains hidden from the public. It is staffed by the security personnel. Its activities and the driving principles behind those activities are not decided by the legislature, controlled by the judiciary, or challenged by the popular will […]1997, Turkish Probe, Ankara, Turkey: Turkish Daily News, →OCLC, page 111
- The term "deep state" is used in two different senses in Turkey. The first is rooted in a type of secret organization affiliated with NATO, which, with time, degenerated into an organized crime group engaged in the pursuit of private gain. In the second sense, the "deep state" is a type of special...2010, Atay Akdevelioğlu [et al.], translated by Mustafa Akşin, edited by Baskın Oran, Turkish Foreign Policy, 1919–2006: Facts and Analyses with Documents (Utah Series in Turkish and Islamic...
- Synonyms:
- shadow government, state within a state
deep state meaning in Arabic, Persian and Thai
deep state in Arabic
- large group of people believed to have long-lasting political influence
- دَوْلَة عَمِيقَة, دَوْلَة مُتَجَذِّرَة, دَوْلَة بِدَاخِلِ دَوْلَة
deep state in Persian
- large group of people believed to have long-lasting political influence
- دولت عمیق dowlat-e 'amiq, دولت پنهان dowlat-e panhân, دولت در دولت dowlat dar dowlat
deep state in Thai
- large group of people believed to have long-lasting political influence
- รัฐพันลึก, รัฐซ้อนรัฐ
Examples of deep state in a sentence
- The term "deep state" is used in two different senses in Turkey.2010, Atay Akdevelioğlu [et al.], translated by Mustafa Akşin, edited by Baskın Oran, Turkish Foreign Policy, 1919–2006: Facts and Analyses...
- Since 1989–90, Pakistan’s ‘deep state’ – the army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) – has been waging a war against India through asymmetric means.2017, Gurmeet Kanwal, “India: Reluctant Nuclear Power”, in Sharpening the Arsenal: India’s Evolving Nuclear Deterrence Policy, Noida, Uttar...
- Deep states do not arise in economic and historic vacuums; rather, they reflect their societies' economies and histories.2017, Kevin Taft, “Oil and the Deep State”, in Oil’s Deep State: How the Petroleum Industry Undermines Democracy and Stops Action on Global...
- To achieve this, he will apparently dismantle the 'deep state'.2018 January 15, Kashmira Gander, “What is The Storm? Conspiracy theory that mysterious White House official QAnon is leaking secrets”, in...
Synonyms of deep state
Forms of deep state
| plural | deep states |
|---|---|
| alternative form | deepstate |
Origin of deep state
A calque of Turkish derin devlet (“deep state”). Early uses were in relation to Turkey, especially the 1996 Susurluk scandal.
Words formed from deep state
Questions about deep state
- What does deep state mean?
- Deep state means a large group of people, typically members of government agencies and the military, believed to have enduring political influence that is difficult for an administration that is voted into power to counter or dislodge.
- What is deep state in Arabic?
- Deep state in Arabic is دَوْلَة عَمِيقَة, دَوْلَة مُتَجَذِّرَة, دَوْلَة بِدَاخِلِ دَوْلَة. See Deep state meaning in Arabic.
- How do you use deep state in a sentence?
- The term "deep state" is used in two different senses in Turkey.
- What part of speech is deep state?
- Deep state is a noun.
- How do you pronounce deep state?
- Deep state is pronounced /ˈdiːp ˈsteɪt/ (UK).
- What is the plural of deep state?
- The plural of deep state is deep states.
Words near deep state in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: deep state (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-deep state.ogg.
Cite this entry: “deep state.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/deep_state. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.