The Constitution Study with Host Paul Engel – What does it mean to be sovereign? We often think of sovereign as the leader of a country, like a monarch, but is that what the word means? According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary online, there are two senses of that word that applies here. One is that of supreme power; the other is independence. Sadly, many today, including those in government, have taken the idea of sovereign independence and turned it into sovereign power.