Meaning & use
domestic policy
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The set of plans and actions a government makes about matters inside its own country, such as health, education, and taxes.
Grammar: Can be used with 'a' or 'the' when talking about one country's approach, or without an article when discussing the general area.
Patterns
- domestic policy on something
- a domestic policy
- the government's domestic policy
The president promised to focus on domestic policy during his second term.
Health care is a major part of domestic policy in many countries.
She wrote her thesis on how domestic policy affects small businesses.
nouncountable
A particular official plan or set of rules within a country, especially one made by a government department.
Grammar: Often used in the plural: 'domestic policies' means several such plans.
Patterns
- a domestic policy on something
- domestic policies
The new domestic policy on energy aims to reduce household bills.
The party announced several domestic policies before the election.
Critics said the domestic policy lacked clear funding.
Word forms
| plural | domestic policies |
|---|
Common combinations
- domestic policy agenda
- The senator's domestic policy agenda includes tax reform and job training.
- domestic policy issues
- Voters said domestic policy issues mattered more to them than foreign affairs.
- focus on domestic policy
- After the summit, the prime minister returned to focus on domestic policy.
- shape domestic policy
- Lobby groups try to shape domestic policy on agriculture.
- domestic policy debate
- The domestic policy debate in Congress lasted for weeks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- home affairs
- Often used in news reports to mean the same area, but it sounds slightly more formal and is less common in everyday speech.
- internal policy
- A broader term that can also refer to policies inside an organization, not just a country.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: domestic policy or domestic?
domestic policy vs domestic
As an adjective alone it can mean 'related to the home' (e.g. domestic chores) or 'inside the country' (e.g. domestic flights). The phrase 'domestic policy' always refers to government matters inside a country.
Practice
The government's ______ policy includes new rules on education and housing.
Choose one answer.
'Domestic policy' is the fixed phrase for a country's internal plans. 'Domestically' is an adverb and cannot modify 'policy'; 'domesticated' means tamed (for animals); 'domesticity' means home life.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “domestic policy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.