state, nation, country, land, commonwealth, res publica, body politic

a politically organized body of people under a single government; "the state has elected a new president"; "African nations"; "students who had come to the nation's capitol"; "the country's largest manufacturer"; "an industrialized land"

• Reich — the German state
• suzerain — a state exercising a degree of dominion over a dependent state especially in its foreign affairs
• sea power — a nation that possesses formidable naval strength
• world power, major power, great power, power, superpower — a state powerful enough to influence events throughout the world
• city state — a state consisting of a sovereign city
• ally — a friendly nation

• political unit — a unit with political responsibilities

• estate, estate of the realm — a major social class or order of persons regarded collectively as part of the body politic of the country and formerly possessing distinct political rights