Neocolonialism is when a powerful country still controls a weaker one, but not by sending governors and armies in the old way. It uses money, trade, loans, companies, and political pressure instead. The flag may be gone; the influence is not. People who use this word, often in politics and history, say this is a new kind of colonialism — that is the neo- — after many countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America became independent in the twentieth century. It is a critical word: if you call something neocolonialism, you are usually complaining, not praising. Not everyone agrees when the word fits; one side may say help and trade, the other control. It is a heavy, formal term, not everyday chat.