federal

adjective

fed·er·al | \ ˈfe-d(ə-)rəl

Definition of federal

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of or constituting a form of government in which power is distributed between a central authority and a number of constituent territorial units

b : of or relating to the central government of a federation as distinguished from the governments of the constituent units

c : formed by a compact between political units that surrender their individual sovereignty to a central authority but retain limited residuary powers of government

2 often capitalized : of, relating to, or loyal to the federal government or the Union armies of the U.S. in the American Civil War

3 capitalized : being or belonging to a style of architecture and decoration current in the U.S. following the American Revolution

4 capitalized : advocating or friendly to the principle of a federal government with strong centralized powers especially : of or relating to the American Federalists

5 archaic : of or relating to a compact or treaty

Federal

noun

Definition of Federal (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a supporter of the U.S. government in the Civil War especially : a soldier in the federal armies

2 : fed sense 1 —usually used in plural The Federals arrested the smugglers.

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Examples of federal in a Sentence

Adjective We pay federal, state, and local taxes. The ruling was overturned by a federal appeals court. furniture made in the Federal style

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The federal prosecutor on the case did not respond for comment. — Lisa J. Huriash, sun-sentinel.com, 21 July 2021 California hires former federal prosecutor to investigate state's unemployment fraud. — Taylor Kate Brown, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 July 2021 Hickey, a formal federal prosecutor, is in charge of implementing a consent decree that resulted from a Department of Justice investigation and finding in 2017 that the Chicago Police Department had engaged in decades of civil rights abuses. — Annie Sweeney, chicagotribune.com, 20 July 2021 Dennis Aftergut is a former federal prosecutor, currently Of Counsel at the Renne Public Law Group in San Francisco. — Dennis Aftergut, CNN, 20 July 2021 She was granted permission to hire her own representation, former federal prosecutor Matthew S. Rosengart, and seems to be speaking out more confidently and clearly about her wants and feelings than ever before. — Natalie Morin, refinery29.com, 20 July 2021 And placing blame on Trump or other forces won’t hold up in court, according to Aitan Goelman, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice. — Washington Post, 20 July 2021 Penny granted Spears' request to hire Mathew Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor, to represent her. — Editors, USA TODAY, 19 July 2021 The federal prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden’s taxes reportedly waited until after the election to seek search warrants, which stalled the public from finding out about the probe. — Fox News, 16 July 2021

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

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Dictionary Entries Near federal

fedder

fedelini

federacy

federal

Federal

federal assembly

federal case

Statistics for federal

Last Updated

24 Jul 2021

Cite this Entry

“Federal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/federal. Accessed 24 Jul. 2021.

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More Definitions for federal

federal

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of federal

(Entry 1 of 2)

: of or relating to a form of government in which power is shared between a central government and individual states, provinces, etc.

: of or relating to the central government

: of, relating to, or loyal to the federal government during the American Civil War

Federal

noun

English Language Learners Definition of Federal (Entry 2 of 2)

: a supporter of the government of the U.S. in the American Civil War especially : a soldier in the federal armies

formal : a federal agent or officer

See the full definition for Federal in the English Language Learners Dictionary

federal

adjective

fed·er·al | \ ˈfe-də-rəl

, ˈfe-drəl \

Kids Definition of federal

: relating to a nation formed by the union of several parts

federal

adjective

fed·er·al

Legal Definition of federal

1 : of or constituting a form of government in which power is distributed between a central authority and a number of constituent territorial units (as states) a federal government

2 : of or relating to the central government of a federation as distinguished from the governments of the constituent territorial units (as states) especially : of or relating to the laws made and enforced by the federal government a federal crime