legislator
noun
leg·is·la·tor
ˈle-jə-ˌslā-tər 
-ˌslā-ˌtȯr
-ˌslā-ˌtȯr
also ˌle-jə-ˈslā-ˌtȯr
: one that makes laws especially for a political unit
especially
: a member of a legislative body
Examples of legislator in a Sentence
Write to your state legislator.
the legislators met in an all-night session to hammer out the details of the bill
Recent Examples on the Web
While nearly 350 state legislators have signed letters urging for stronger federal oversight, some members of Congress are moving in the opposite direction.
—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 3 June 2026
Elsewhere on the ballot, a tax break for local businesses was on its way to passing in Tuesday’s earliest returns with 76% approval, while a procedural move by legislators to scale back the responsibilities of a pension review board was also coasting to victory with 72% of the vote.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
There’s also another $380 million still sitting in a special fund — created outside of the formal budget — that legislators set up specifically to offset federal cuts to human service programs.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2026
But legislators did not amend or voluntarily kill SB 147, and, had it been moved more quickly by House leadership, lawmakers had sufficient support to attempt to override the governor’s looming veto.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for legislator
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Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 3 June 2026
Elsewhere on the ballot, a tax break for local businesses was on its way to passing in Tuesday’s earliest returns with 76% approval, while a procedural move by legislators to scale back the responsibilities of a pension review board was also coasting to victory with 72% of the vote.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
There’s also another $380 million still sitting in a special fund — created outside of the formal budget — that legislators set up specifically to offset federal cuts to human service programs.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2026
But legislators did not amend or voluntarily kill SB 147, and, had it been moved more quickly by House leadership, lawmakers had sufficient support to attempt to override the governor’s looming veto.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for legislator
Cite this Entry
“Legislator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legislator. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
legislator
noun
leg·is·la·tor
ˈlej-ə-ˌslā-ˌtȯ(ə)r
-ˌslāt-ər
-ˌslāt-ər
: a person who makes laws
especially
: a member of a legislature
Legal Definition
legislator
noun
leg·is·la·tor
ˈle-jəs-ˌlā-tər, -ˌtȯr
: a person who makes laws especially for a political unit
especially
: a member of a legislative body
legislatorship
noun
Etymology
Latin legis lator, literally, proposer of a law, from legis (genitive of lex law) + lator proposer, from ferre (past participle latus) to carry, propose
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