attorney general

noun

plural attorneys general or attorney generals

Definition of attorney general

: 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

Prior to his election as attorney general, Hill was a four-term Elkhart County prosecutor. — Ryan Martin, Indianapolis Star, "Attorney General Curtis Hill: What we know about allegations of inappropriate touching," 6 July 2018 She was elected San Francisco district attorney in 2003 and California attorney general in 2010 before winning her Senate race in 2016 following the retirement of former Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer. — Ken Thomas, WSJ, "Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris Says She Is Running for President in 2020," 21 Jan. 2019 Back in the 1990s, the attorney general had direct control over immigration enforcement. — Dara Lind, Vox, "William Barr hearing: attorney general nominee’s immigration record aligns with Trump’s," 16 Jan. 2019 Further Reading Report: Facebook let major tech firms access private messages, friends lists The attorney general of the District of Columbia has sued (PDF) Facebook, alleging violations of local consumer protection laws. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "DC sues Facebook over Cambridge Analytica scandal," 19 Dec. 2018 Here are some things to know about Matthew Whitaker, the current acting attorney general. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "The Week in Washington: “Mueller Protection Rapid Response”," 11 Nov. 2018 The interim attorney general is Sessions’ chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker. — Angela Chen, The Verge, "Marijuana advocates celebrate after Jeff Sessions is ousted," 8 Nov. 2018 For data breaches, consumers may be able to sue for up to $750 for each violation, while the state attorney general can sue for intentional violations of privacy at up to $7,500 each. — Glenn Fleishman, Fortune, "California Passes Groundbreaking Consumer Protection Act with Fines for Violations," 29 June 2018 But in recent days the White House has seen the pressure ebb, as Kavanaugh's defenders — most recently Alberto Gonzales, who served as attorney general under President George W. Bush — have provided balance. — Catherine Lucey, Zeke Miller And Ken Thomas, Houston Chronicle, "Trump weighs 2 or 3 candidates for court, to meet with Pence," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'attorney general.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.