Glossary

Words used on How I Lean, in plain language. Anywhere on the site, a word with a dotted underline has its meaning here: hover over it, or tap it.

122 words

A

Accountable
Expected to explain your actions and face the consequences.Government and law
Amendment
A change or addition to a law or a constitution.Government and law
America First
A political movement that puts American interests, jobs and borders ahead of commitments to other countries.Political views
Archbishop
A senior bishop who leads a church across a large area.Other useful words
Asylum
Protection a country gives to someone fleeing danger in their home country.Rights, speech and safety
ATF
The federal agency that enforces U.S. laws on guns, explosives, alcohol and tobacco.Government and law

B

Bipartisan
Supported by both main U.S. parties, Democrats and Republicans.Political views

C

Capitalism
An economic system where businesses are privately owned and run to make a profit.Money and the economy
Ceasefire
An agreement to stop fighting, at least for a while.The world
Censorship
When a government or platform blocks or removes speech or information.Rights, speech and safety
Centrist
Someone who judges each issue on its own and looks for a practical middle ground between the left and the right.Political views
Civil liberties
Freedoms the government isn't allowed to take away, such as free speech and privacy.Rights, speech and safety
Civil rights
Rights everyone should have equally under the law, like voting and fair treatment whatever your race or gender.Rights, speech and safety
Coalition
A group of parties, countries or organizations that agree to work together.Government and law
Congress
The part of the U.S. government that writes laws. It has two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives.Government and law
Consensus
Broad agreement among a group.Other useful words
Conservative
Someone who values limited government, free enterprise, family and tradition, and prefers careful change to rapid change.Political views
Constitution
The founding set of laws that sets up the U.S. government and protects basic rights.Government and law
Content moderation
How online platforms decide which posts to allow, label or take down.Rights, speech and safety
Covenant
A serious promise or agreement, often a religious one.Other useful words

D

Data centers
Huge buildings full of computers that run the internet and AI. They use a lot of electricity and water.Energy and climate
Daylight saving time
Moving clocks forward an hour in spring and back in fall, to get more daylight in the evening.Other useful words
Decriminalize
Stop treating something as a crime, without fully making it legal. It might still bring a fine.Rights, speech and safety
Deficit
When a government spends more in a year than it takes in.Money and the economy
Democratic Socialist
Someone who wants voters to shape how the economy works, with essentials like healthcare and energy owned by the public and run for people's needs, not profit.Political views
Deportation
Sending someone who isn't a citizen out of the country.Rights, speech and safety
Deregulation
Removing or loosening government rules on businesses.Money and the economy
Dignity
The respect every person deserves just for being a person.Other useful words
Diplomacy
Handling relations between countries through talks and agreements.The world
Domestic
Within your own country. "Domestic jobs" are jobs at home, not abroad.Money and the economy
Due process
The right to fair legal steps, like a hearing, before the government can punish you or take something away.Rights, speech and safety

E

Electoral College
How the U.S. elects its president: each state gets votes based on its size, and they usually all go to whoever wins that state.Government and law
Elites
A small group of people with a lot of wealth, power or influence.Political views
Emissions
Gases released into the air, especially the carbon dioxide that warms the planet.Energy and climate
Enforcement
Making sure laws are obeyed. "Law enforcement" means the police and similar agencies.Government and law
Entitlements
Government benefits people qualify for by law, such as Social Security and Medicare.Money and the economy
Entrenched
So firmly set up that it's hard to change or remove.Other useful words
Epstein files
Government records about Jeffrey Epstein, a financier charged with sex trafficking, and the people connected to him.Other useful words
The establishment
The people and organizations that already hold power and influence, such as long-serving politicians, big businesses and major media.Political views
Executive order
An instruction from the president to the federal government that acts like law, without a vote in Congress.Government and law

F

Federal
To do with the national government in Washington, D.C., rather than state or local governments.Government and law
Filibuster
Using very long debate in the Senate to delay or block a vote.Government and law
First Amendment
The part of the U.S. Constitution that protects freedom of speech, religion, the press and peaceful protest.Rights, speech and safety
Fiscal
To do with government money: taxes, spending and borrowing.Money and the economy
Foreign entanglements
Getting tied up in other countries' wars, conflicts or affairs.The world
Fossil fuels
Coal, oil and gas: fuels made from ancient plants and animals that release carbon dioxide when burned.Energy and climate
Free enterprise
The freedom to start and run a business and keep its profits, with limited government interference.Money and the economy
Free market
An economy where buyers and sellers mostly set prices and what gets made, with little government control.Money and the economy

G

Gerrymandering
Drawing voting district lines to help one party win more seats.Government and law
GOP
A nickname for the Republican Party. It stands for "Grand Old Party".Government and law
Grassroots
Started and driven by ordinary people, not by leaders or big organizations.Political views
Gun control
Laws that limit who can own guns, which guns, and how they're sold.Rights, speech and safety

H

House of Representatives
The larger part of Congress, where each state's number of members depends on its population.Government and law

I

Ideology
A connected set of beliefs about how society should be run.Political views
Impeachment
When the House of Representatives formally charges an official, like a president, with serious wrongdoing. The Senate then decides whether to remove them.Government and law
Incumbent
The person who currently holds an office.Government and law
Indictment
A formal charge that someone committed a crime, which leads to a trial.Government and law
Inequality
A big gap between groups, for example between the richest and the poorest people.Money and the economy
Inflation
When prices rise over time, so the same money buys less.Money and the economy
Institution
A long-standing organization or system that shapes society, such as courts, schools, Congress or the press.Government and law
Isolationism
Keeping your country out of other countries' conflicts and alliances.The world

J

Jurisdiction
The area or topics a government, court or agency has the power to make decisions about.Government and law

L

Legalize
Make something allowed by law.Rights, speech and safety
Legislation
Laws, or proposed laws, made by a lawmaking body like Congress.Government and law
Liberal
In U.S. politics, someone who generally supports government action to reduce unfairness and protect civil rights. Often used alongside "progressive".Political views
Libertarian
Someone who wants as much personal and economic freedom as possible, and as little government as possible.Political views
Lobbying
Trying to persuade lawmakers to support something, often for a company or group.Money and the economy

M

MAGA
Short for "Make America Great Again", Donald Trump's campaign slogan. Also used as a name for the movement that supports him.Political views
Majority leader
The leader of the party with the most seats in the Senate or House, who largely decides what gets voted on.Government and law
Mandate
An official order to do something, such as a rule requiring a vaccine or a type of insurance.Government and law
Medicaid
U.S. government health coverage for people with low incomes.Money and the economy
Medicare
U.S. government health insurance, mainly for people 65 and older.Money and the economy
Midterm elections
U.S. elections held halfway through a president's four-year term, for Congress and many state offices.Government and law
Minimum wage
The lowest hourly pay an employer is legally allowed to pay.Money and the economy
Misinformation
False or misleading information. "Disinformation" is the kind spread on purpose.Rights, speech and safety

N

National debt
All the money a government owes from past borrowing.Money and the economy
Nationalism
Putting your own nation's interests and identity first, sometimes ahead of other countries'.Political views
NATO
A military alliance of the U.S., Canada and many European countries that promise to defend each other.The world
Nominee
Someone put forward for a job, such as a judge or cabinet post, who still needs approval.Government and law
Nuclear proliferation
The spread of nuclear weapons to more countries.The world

O

Overreach
When a government or person goes beyond the power they're supposed to have.Government and law
Oversight
Watching over something to make sure it's done properly and the rules are followed.Government and law

P

Parliament
The elected group that makes laws in many countries, such as the U.K. and Canada.Government and law
Partisan
Strongly backing one political party or side, often over everything else.Political views
Patriotism
Love of, and loyalty to, your country.Political views
Polarization
When people split into opposing camps that agree less and trust each other less.Political views
Policing
How police do their job in a community.Rights, speech and safety
Political orientation
A broad set of views about how government and society should work. This site uses six of them.Political views
Populism
Politics that says it speaks for ordinary people against powerful elites.Political views
Prime minister
The head of government in many countries, usually the leader of the biggest party in parliament.Government and law
Progressive
Someone who wants government to actively widen opportunity: rules for businesses, a strong safety net and expanded civil rights.Political views
Psilocybin
The substance in "magic mushrooms" that causes their effects.Rights, speech and safety
Psychedelics
Drugs that strongly change how you see, feel and think, such as psilocybin ("magic mushrooms") or LSD.Rights, speech and safety
Public ownership
When the government, on behalf of everyone, owns a business or service instead of private owners.Money and the economy

R

Redistribution
Moving wealth from richer to poorer people, usually through taxes and government programs.Money and the economy
Referendum
A vote where the public decides one question directly, instead of leaving it to lawmakers.Government and law
Regulation
A rule set by the government that businesses or people have to follow.Money and the economy
Renewable energy
Energy from sources that don't run out, like sunlight, wind and moving water.Energy and climate

S

Safety net
Government programs that help people through hard times, like unemployment pay, food aid and health coverage.Money and the economy
Sanctions
Penalties one country puts on another, like limits on trade, to pressure it to change what it's doing.The world
Secession
When a region breaks away from a country to become independent.Government and law
Second Amendment
The part of the U.S. Constitution about the right to keep and bear arms.Rights, speech and safety
Self-reliance
Depending on yourself, rather than on other people or the government.Political views
Senate
The smaller part of Congress, with two senators from every state.Government and law
Silencer
A device that makes a gun quieter when it's fired.Rights, speech and safety
Skeptical
Doubting something until there's good reason to believe it.Other useful words
Social Security
A U.S. program that pays money to retired and disabled people, funded by workers' taxes.Money and the economy
Socialism
The idea that key industries and resources should be owned or controlled by the public, to share wealth more equally.Money and the economy
Solidarity
Standing together and backing each other, especially people facing the same hardship.Political views
Sovereignty
A country's right to make its own laws and decisions without control from outside.The world
Stance
Your position or view on an issue.Other useful words
Standoff
A situation where two sides are stuck and neither will give way.Other useful words
Subpoena
A legal order to show up and testify, or to hand over documents.Government and law
Subsidy
Money the government gives to support a business, product or activity, to keep it going or make it cheaper.Money and the economy
Supreme Court
The highest court in the U.S. Its rulings decide what the Constitution means.Government and law
Surveillance
Closely watching people, often with cameras, data or phone records.Rights, speech and safety

T

Tariff
A tax on goods brought in from another country. It usually makes those goods cost more.Money and the economy
Trafficking
Illegally trading people, drugs or weapons.Rights, speech and safety

U

Union
A group of workers who join together to bargain with their employer over pay and working conditions.Money and the economy
Universal programs
Government programs open to everyone, not only to people who qualify by income.Money and the economy

V

Veto
When a president or governor rejects a bill so it doesn't become law.Government and law

W

Welfare
Government help, often money, for people with low incomes.Money and the economy