federal

1 of 2

adjective

fed·​er·​al ˈfe-d(ə-)rəl How to pronounce federal (audio)
1
a
: of or constituting a form of government in which power is distributed between a central authority and a number of constituent territorial units
b
: of or relating to the central government of a federation as distinguished from the governments of the constituent units
c
: formed by a compact between political units that surrender their individual sovereignty to a central authority but retain limited residuary powers of government
2
often capitalized : of, relating to, or loyal to the federal government or the Union armies of the U.S. in the American Civil War
3
capitalized : being or belonging to a style of architecture and decoration current in the U.S. following the American Revolution
4
capitalized : advocating or friendly to the principle of a federal government with strong centralized powers
especially : of or relating to the American Federalists
5
archaic : of or relating to a compact or treaty
federally adverb

Federal

2 of 2

noun

1
: a supporter of the U.S. government in the Civil War
especially : a soldier in the federal armies
2
: fed sense 1
usually used in plural
The Federals arrested the smugglers.

Examples of federal in a Sentence

Adjective We pay federal, state, and local taxes. The ruling was overturned by a federal appeals court. furniture made in the Federal style
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The committee’s subpoena to Epstein’s estate had demanded a wide range of records, including the birthday book, Epstein’s will, his 2008 nonprosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida, and financial documents. Nik Popli, Time, 9 Sep. 2025 The Mexican government's latest report of collisions on federal highways showed a total of 12,099 crashes in 2023, resulting in over $100 million in damage, 6,400 injuries, and nearly 1,900 deaths. Lizbeth Diaz, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025 It was postponed indefinitely due to the federal takeover threat. Deena Zaru, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025 More Evan Bernstein/Getty Images Point guard Terry Rozier, who has only a partial guarantee on his contract for 2025-26, remains under federal investigation for suspicious gambling activity, per ESPN's David Purdum. Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for federal

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin foeder-, foedus compact, league; akin to Latin fidere to trust — more at bide

First Known Use

Adjective

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Noun

1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of federal was in 1624

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Federal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/federal. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

federal

1 of 2 adjective
fed·​er·​al ˈfed-(ə-)rəl How to pronounce federal (audio)
1
a
: formed by an agreement between political units that surrender supreme authority to a central authority but keep certain powers
b
: of or being a form of government in which power is distributed between a central authority and individual units
2
often capitalized : of, relating to, or loyal to the U.S. federal government during the American Civil War
federally adverb

Federal

2 of 2 noun
Fed·​er·​al
ˈfed-(ə-)rəl
1
: a supporter of the government of the U.S. in the American Civil War
especially : a soldier in the federal armies
2
: a federal agent or officer

Legal Definition

federal

adjective
fed·​er·​al
1
: of or constituting a form of government in which power is distributed between a central authority and a number of constituent territorial units (as states)
a federal government
2
: of or relating to the central government of a federation as distinguished from the governments of the constituent territorial units (as states)
especially : of or relating to the laws made and enforced by the federal government
a federal crime
federally adverb
Etymology

Adjective

Latin foeder-, foedus compact, league

More from Merriam-Webster on federal

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