cloture

noun

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clo·ture | \ ˈklō-chər

Definition of cloture

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the closing or limitation of debate in a legislative body especially by calling for a vote

cloture

verb

clotured; cloturing; clotures

Definition of cloture (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to close (debate) in a legislative body by cloture Debate over the bill was short Tuesday evening. After an initial debate Tuesday afternoon, Senate Republicans clotured debate when the bill returned later in the day.— Brian Lyman

Examples of cloture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun With the vote for cloture having been defeated, the filibuster is still alive. — Mitch Edelman, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 1 June 2021 Sixty votes are required to invoke cloture, which allows legislation to advance. — Grace Segers, CBS News, 28 May 2021 House rules allow for ending a filibuster if there are enough votes for cloture, a petition to end debate and force a vote. — Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, 5 May 2021 The bill also faced some opposition ahead of a cloture vote earlier on Thursday. — Grace Segers, CBS News, 28 May 2021 With the recent cloture vote behind them, Senators Cantwell and Wicker are managing numerous amendments from the floor. — Rick Helfenbein, Forbes, 27 May 2021 The Republican majority has used cloture to end Democratic filibusters this year. — Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, 5 May 2021 That way, the new precedent would be that the members of the institution collectively agree that cloture requires a simple majority. — Jay Cost, Washington Examiner, 29 Apr. 2021 Under current Senate rules, the minority party can filibuster a proposal until three-fifths of the senators present vote to end the filibuster by invoking cloture. — Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner, 18 Apr. 2021

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