attorney general

noun

plural attorneys general or attorney generals

: the chief law officer of a nation or state who represents the government in litigation and serves as its principal legal adviser

Examples of attorney general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Last Wednesday, Meta reached a settlement with the attorneys general of forty-seven states, who had sued it for illegally manipulating the attention of children. — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

With his support, Dreitzer’s office has worked hand-in-hand on the lawsuits with Nevada’s Democratic attorney general, Aaron Ford. — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026

The next day, California and the attorneys general of 24 other states filed their lawsuit. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Moore was the Mississippi attorney general leading the charge against Big Tobacco. — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined above

Video

Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

Kids Definition

attorney general

noun

plural attorneys general or attorney generals

: the chief law officer of a nation or state who represents the government in legal matters

Legal Definition

attorney general

noun

plural attorneys general or attorney generals

: the chief law officer of a nation or state who represents the government in litigation and serves as its principal legal advisor