attorney general

noun

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of attorney general

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

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Recent Examples of attorney general from the Web

The state attorney general, along with Hanford Challenge and a union, is suing the Energy Department for venting noxious gases from underground waste tanks over recent years, sickening workers.

— ralph vartabedian, latimes.com, "Blowing in the wind: Plutonium at former nuclear weapons site," 16 Apr. 2018
Janet Reno, just days into her job as the attorney general, took full responsibility.

— alan stone, BostonGlobe.com, "25 years ago in Waco," 15 Apr. 2018
The deputy attorney general -- whom Trump has criticized for appointing a special counsel to oversee the Russia investigation -- will address Campbell University's law school graduates on May 11.

— andrew dunn, CNN, "Clinton, Tillerson and Gore among politicos giving commencement speeches this year," 14 Apr. 2018
Another target of presidential ire, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, was fired last month by Trump’s attorney general, Jeff Sessions – and Congress shrugged.

— linda feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor, "Mueller probe: As Trump mulls retaliation, where do Republicans draw the line?," 13 Apr. 2018
Some media outlets have also reported that Trump is considering firing the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the Mueller probe.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "What would Rob Portman do if Trump tries to fire Robert Mueller? We don't know yet.," 12 Apr. 2018
When Sessions became attorney general, Jeffrey Wood—who worked as Sessions’ environmental and energy counsel until going to lobby for Balch and Southern in 2014—was made head of the ENRD.

— ian graber-stiehl, The Root, "Eau de Bull, Again: Good Ole Boys Have ‘No Concerns About Anything Inappropriate’ in Environmental-Racism Case," 11 Apr. 2018
Since Nassar’s trial, the office of Michigan’s attorney general has been investigating Michigan State, and the university has begun the process of stripping Strampel of his tenure.

— madeleine aggeler, The Cut, "Larry Nassar’s Former Boss Charged With Sexual Misconduct," 27 Mar. 2018
The harshest criticism focuses on the new powers granted to the attorney general, who can enter into agreements with foreign countries unilaterally.

— russell brandom, The Verge, "House passes controversial legislation giving the US more access to overseas data," 22 Mar. 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.

First Known Use of attorney general

1585

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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