Definition of council
1 : an assembly or meeting for consultation, advice, or discussion the Second Vatican Council
2 : a group elected or appointed as an advisory or legislative body a governor's council a city council
3a : a usually administrative body a council on housingb : an executive body whose members are equal in power and authorityc : a governing body of delegates from local units of a federation
4 : deliberation in a council
5a : a federation of or a central body uniting a group of organizations the National Council of Teachers of Englishb : a local chapter of an organizationc : club, society
From the M-W Editors
Examples of council in a Sentence
The city council is considering a ban on smoking in restaurants.
the governor's council on physical fitness
Recent Examples of council from the Web
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The decision was announced Thursday after a regular meeting of the bank’s 25-member policy council at its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany.
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Dan Shanower/Sept. 11, 2001 Memorial and the western portion of the Naperville Township parking lot, the council decided.
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With council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Menchaca is pushing for the budget to be extended to all in need.
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Yara (Gemma Whelan) and Ellaria (Indira Varma) have officially joined Daenerys’s Dragonstone war council.
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Emmerson said that the fulfillment of the Sri Lankan government’s commitments to the U.N human rights council has virtually ground to a halt.
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More recently, Haftar has shifted tack to accept a civilian position overseeing Libya’s military in a three-person governing council, or to run as a candidate in Libya’s presidential elections, currently scheduled for early 2018.
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And as Sarah Kaplan noted for The Washington Post, Trump has not even named a NASA administrator, who will sit on the council.
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Minutes later, two aldermen flipped their votes and the city council voted to opt out of the minimum wage increase.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'council.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of council
Middle English counceil, from Anglo-French cunseil, cuncile, from Latin concilium, from com- + calare to call — more at low
Other Government and Politics Terms
council
Definition of council
1 : used for councils especially by or with North American Indians a council ground
2 British : built, maintained, or operated by a local governing agency council housing council flats
Origin and Etymology of council
see 1council
COUNCIL Defined for English Language Learners
council
playDefinition of council for English Language Learners
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: a group of people who are chosen to make rules, laws, or decisions about something
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: a group of people who provide advice or guidance on something
council
Definition of council for English Language Learners
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: of or relating to a council
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: provided by a local government council for people to live in for low rent
COUNCIL Defined for Kids
council
playDefinition of council for Students
: a group of people appointed or elected to make laws or give advice the city council
Law Dictionary
Learn More about council
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for council Spanish Central: Translation of council Nglish: Translation of council for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of council for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about council
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