council

noun coun·cil \ ˈkau̇n(t)-səl \

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

3 a :a usually administrative body

a council on housing

b :an executive body whose members are equal in power and authority

c :a governing body of delegates from local units of a federation

4 :deliberation in a council

5 a :a federation of or a central body uniting a group of organizations

the National Council of Teachers of English

b :a local chapter of an organization

c :club, society

See council defined for English-language learners

See council defined for kids

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

The students on this council led the entire curatorial process without barriers from adult decision makers.

— kate sierzputowski, Teen Vogue, ""Bold Disobedience" Art Show Was Curated by Chicago Teens," 30 Aug. 2017
Those are among the legal issues that have faced candidates for Charlotte’s mayor and city council.

— jim morrill and maria david, charlotteobserver, "Money struggles, evictions, an unusual DWI. These are Charlotte’s city candidates.," 30 Aug. 2017
In a statement issued after the council's vote, Kauffman thanked the commission and the City Council for the care and diligence exercised throughout the deliberations.

— karen berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, "Ravinia wins approval for experiential museum, dining expansion," 29 Aug. 2017
Handsome Lake was not present at the meeting or the deliberations of the council.

— Longreads, "America’s First Addiction Epidemic," 29 Aug. 2017
In 2015, the city council voted to remove the statue, but they were blocked under a 2013 law that requires any removal of a monument on public property to be submitted to the Tennessee Historical Commission.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Local Officials Want to Remove Confederate Monuments—but States Won't Let Them," 25 Aug. 2017
Buy Photo Can the candidate who finishes third in a primary race for two township council seats expect to move up a spot if the second-place finisher then drops out?

— jan hefler, Philly.com, "In this South Jersey race, candidate cannot win for losing," 25 Aug. 2017
Gustin was elected to the city council in 2015 after serving on the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Councilwoman Patty Gustin running for DuPage County Board," 22 Aug. 2017
From Steve Bannon to Carl Icahn to Trump’s business advisory councils, there were a number of instances last week where the White House tried to obscure whether people were leaving the president’s orbit voluntarily.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Chris Christie Didn’t Lose Potential Sports Radio Job, He Quit," 21 Aug. 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

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council Synonyms

Synonyms

assembly, congress, convention, convocation, meeting, gathering, get-together, huddle, powwow

Related Words

clinic, workshop; cabinet, caucus, conclave, synod; demonstration, rally; confab, conversation, dialogue (also dialog), discourse, discussion, palaver, talk; negotiation, parley, summit; conference, forum, round-robin, roundtable, seminar, symposium; audience, interview, session

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

council

adjective

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

See council defined for English-language learners

Origin and Etymology of council

see ¹council

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

COUNCIL Defined for English Language Learners

council

noun

Definition of council for English Language Learners

: a group of people who are chosen to make rules, laws, or decisions about something
: a group of people who provide advice or guidance on something

council

adjective

Definition of council for English Language Learners

: of or relating to a council
: provided by a local government council for people to live in for low rent

COUNCIL Defined for Kids

council

noun coun·cil \ ˈkau̇n-səl \

Definition of council for Students

:a group of people appointed or elected to make laws or give advice

the city council

Law Dictionary

council

noun coun·cil \ ˈkau̇n-səl \

legal Definition of council

:a governmental body: as

a :a group elected as a legislative body

city council

b :an administrative body

council on aging

c :an executive body whose members are equal in power and authority — compare committee 2b

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See words that rhyme with council 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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council

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council

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council

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council

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council

legal Definition of council

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