committee of the whole

noun phrase

: the whole membership of a legislative house sitting as a committee and operating under informal rules

Examples of committee of the whole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Council members Tish Powell and John Steffen brought the issue to the council for discussion during a committee of the whole meeting last week. — Rick West, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026

Then, on July 2nd and again on July 3rd, Congress met as a committee of the whole to revise the draft submitted by the Committee of Five. — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

The Michigan Senate Committee on Elections and Ethics took up Senate Bill 691 after its introduction last fall, and this week referred it to the committee of the whole. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1689, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for committee of the whole

• diethylstilbestrol
• amphibole
• asystole
• buttonhole
• casserole
• centriole
• decontrol
• glycerol
• metropole
• monopole
• multipole
• omeprazole

Legal Definition

committee of the whole

: the whole membership of a legislative house (as the House of Representatives) sitting as a committee and operating under informal parliamentary rules

called also Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union