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 The legislation was designed to emphasize rehabilitation and keep juveniles accused of the most serious violent crimes out of adult court. — oregonlive, 6 Oct. 2021 No Republican senator has publicly endorsed the voting rights legislation that Manchin renegotiated with his Democratic colleagues; several of his most obvious targets, to the contrary, have already signaled their opposition. — Ronald Brownstein, CNN, 5 Oct. 2021 Councilmember Andrew Lewis introduced the legislation advocated for it prior to the vote. — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2021 The legislation is still pending, but the Ways and Means Committee held the first hearing Tuesday. — Emily Opilo, baltimoresun.com, 5 Oct. 2021 The legislation would ban new offshore oil and gas leases in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the eastern Gulf of Mexico, among many provisions designed to grow clean energy and phase out fossil fuels. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2021 The revised legislation was prepared by attorney Ken Myers, a Solon resident who was hired by the city to review the existing ordinance. — Ed Wittenberg, cleveland, 5 Oct. 2021 Democratic legislators have warned that Biden’s bold ideas are getting lost in the party's infighting and procedural skirmishes over the legislation. — Jonathan Lemire, ajc, 5 Oct. 2021 But Bergman and Walberg — his signal dropping in and out on a call as if intended to underscore the point — argued that the legislation doesn't make a strong enough promise of connecting rural Michiganders to warrant their support. — Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 5 Oct. 2021

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 2021

Cite this Entry

“Legislation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legislation. Accessed 15 Oct. 2021.

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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