bicameral
adjective
bi·cam·er·al
(ˌ)bī-ˈkam-rəl 
-ˈka-mə-
government
: having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers (see chamber entry 1 sense 4a)
a bicameral legislature comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate
Examples of bicameral in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On November 7, a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of US lawmakers introduced a comprehensive privacy bill called the Government Surveillance Reform Act, led in part by veteran Senate Intelligence Committee member Ron Wyden.
—
WIRED, 13 Nov. 2023
Institutions designed to check extremists, whether specified in the text (a bicameral legislature) or not (political parties), were vulnerable to extremists.
—Corey Robin, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2023
House Democrats unveiled the text of the bill, known as a continuing resolution, on Tuesday, amid bicameral, bipartisan efforts to reach consensus on the broader proposal to fund the U.S. government through most of 2023.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 14 Dec. 2022
This election, in which all 140 seats in the bicameral General Assembly will be contested, may decide whether Virginia remains a haven for families and taxpayers or goes the route of failing states like Illinois.
—John Tillman, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2023
One measure, introduced in 2018 in Mexico’s bicameral legislature, passed last year in one chamber and is now sitting in the other.
—Leila Miller, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2023
The reality is that whoever controls the government controls the Knesset, which is a single house, not bicameral.
—Jo-Ann Mort, The New Republic, 19 July 2023
Senators on first major bipartisan gun legislation passed in nearly 30 years 08:08
In a divided Congress, the two parties and two chambers have demonstrated little inclination toward cutting another bipartisan, bicameral agreement to change federal gun laws in 2023.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 10 July 2023
Those candidates will be put to a vote, with the whole 750-seat bicameral legislature voting.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 13 May 2023
See More
WIRED, 13 Nov. 2023
Institutions designed to check extremists, whether specified in the text (a bicameral legislature) or not (political parties), were vulnerable to extremists.
—Corey Robin, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2023
House Democrats unveiled the text of the bill, known as a continuing resolution, on Tuesday, amid bicameral, bipartisan efforts to reach consensus on the broader proposal to fund the U.S. government through most of 2023.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 14 Dec. 2022
This election, in which all 140 seats in the bicameral General Assembly will be contested, may decide whether Virginia remains a haven for families and taxpayers or goes the route of failing states like Illinois.
—John Tillman, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2023
One measure, introduced in 2018 in Mexico’s bicameral legislature, passed last year in one chamber and is now sitting in the other.
—Leila Miller, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2023
The reality is that whoever controls the government controls the Knesset, which is a single house, not bicameral.
—Jo-Ann Mort, The New Republic, 19 July 2023
Senators on first major bipartisan gun legislation passed in nearly 30 years 08:08
In a divided Congress, the two parties and two chambers have demonstrated little inclination toward cutting another bipartisan, bicameral agreement to change federal gun laws in 2023.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 10 July 2023
Those candidates will be put to a vote, with the whole 750-seat bicameral legislature voting.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 13 May 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bicameral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
bi- entry 1 + Late Latin camera chamber — more at chamber
First Known Use
circa 1832, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to bicameral
Dictionary Entries Near bicameral
Cite this Entry
“Bicameral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bicameral. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
bicameral
adjective
bi·cam·er·al
(ˈ)bī-ˈkam-(ə-)rəl
: consisting of two legislative chambers
a bicameral legislature
Medical Definition
bicameral
adjective
bi·cam·er·al
(ˈ)bī-ˈkam-(ə-)rəl
: having two chambers
Legal Definition
bicameral
adjective
bi·cam·er·al
ˌbī-ˈka-mə-rəl
: having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers
a bicameral legislature
bicamerality
noun
ˌbī-ˌka-mə-ˈra-lə-tē
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