legislation

noun

leg·is·la·tion | \ˌle-jə-ˈslā-shən

Definition of legislation

1 : the action of legislating specifically : the exercise of the power and function of making rules (such as laws) that have the force of authority by virtue of their promulgation by an official organ of a state or other organization the major function of Congress is legislation — W. S. Sayre

2 : the enactments of a legislator or a legislative body legislation to help distressed homeowners

3 : a matter of business for or under consideration by a legislative body She proposed new legislation to protect the environment.

Examples of legislation in a Sentence

They passed new state legislation this week. Two new pieces of legislation are being considered. She introduced legislation for protecting the environment. More legislation is needed on this matter. Certain animals are protected under state legislation. One of the important functions of government is legislation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Vietnam’s National Assembly voted to put off passing the legislation until the next session in October to allow for more research. — Chris Fuchs /, NBC News, "U.S. citizen arrested during protest in Vietnam scheduled to stand trial," 13 July 2018 Following school takeovers in Gary and Muncie by the state last year, lawmakers passed legislation in May requiring a concrete list of indicators to help prevent other schools from going down the same path. — Meredith Colias-pete, Post-Tribune, "State works on identifying troubled school districts," 13 July 2018 His creation inspired Philadelphia to pass legislation banning the use of 3-D printers to manufacture firearms. — New York Times, "‘Downloadable Gun’ Clears a Legal Obstacle, and Activists Are Alarmed," 13 July 2018 But the Supreme Court’s power on environmental issues stems from Congress’ repeated refusal to pass legislation giving the government clear authority to fight climate change. — Emily Atkin, The New Republic, "How the New Supreme Court Could Halt Climate Action," 12 July 2018 On July 2, Israel's Knesset passed legislation that would subtract the amount used by the P.A. to fund terrorists from tax monies collected for the P.A. by Israel and transfer the funds to organizations that provide assistance to victims of terror. — Jewish Journal, "Abbas declares Israeli legislation won't stop him from paying terrorists," 11 July 2018 Congress passed legislation earlier this year giving states a total of $380 million in grants to boost the security of their election systems. — Erin Kelly, USA TODAY, "Russia so far not mounting 'robust' hacking effort against U.S. election, official says," 11 July 2018 Other states, however, might need to pass entirely new legislation. — The Economist, "Amazon wins from a Supreme Court ruling," 10 July 2018 San Fransisco and New York are eyeing similar proposals and even the United Kingdom announced plans to pass legislation to reduce plastic waste. — Gina Martinez, Time, "Starbucks Is Ditching Plastic Straws. Here Are 3 of the Most Common Alternatives," 9 July 2018

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

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Last Updated

7 Oct 2018

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The first known use of legislation was in 1606

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More Definitions for legislation

legislation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of legislation

: a law or set of laws made by a government

: the action or process of making laws

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

legislation

noun

leg·is·la·tion | \ˌle-jə-ˈslā-shən

Kids Definition of legislation

1 : the action of making laws

2 : the laws that are made Congress passed new legislation protecting the environment.

legislation

noun

leg·is·la·tion | \ˌle-jəs-ˈlā-shən

Legal Definition of legislation

1 : the making or giving of laws specifically : the exercise of the power and function of making rules that have the force of authority by virtue of their promulgation by an official organ of the state

2 : the enactments of a legislator or legislative body

3 : a matter of business for or under consideration by a legislative body recently proposed legislation