The phrase quoted by Josepp is not a definition. It's an example to show how the word can be used in a sentence.

The latest online Merriam-Webster recognizes two related but distinct meanings of "democracy" as a form of government:

"a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority

"b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections."

Democracies can thus be "direct" or "representative," or a mixture of the two.

The realities of life make direct democracy impossible in complex societies with countless issues to be decided and a population too big to fit into an amphiteater.