legislator

play

noun leg·is·la·tor \ ˈle-jə-ˌslā-ˌtȯr , -ˌslā-tər also ˌle-jə-ˈslā-ˌtȯr \

Definition of legislator

:one that makes laws especially for a political unit; especially :a member of a legislative body

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legislatorial

play \ˌle-jə-slə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl\ adjective

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legislatorship

play \ˈle-jə-ˌslā-tər-ˌship\ noun

See legislator defined for English-language learners

See legislator defined for kids

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 of legislator from the Web

Carrington worked with state legislators, as the head of the Maryland Cannabis Industry Association, when the laws governing medical marijuana were being developed.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Locations of medical marijuana dispensaries won't be public until state licenses are issued," 29 Aug. 2017
Don’t just tweet at them or email—call your legislators.

— kate storey, Harper's BAZAAR, "Donate and Speak Up to Help In The Wake of Charlottesville," 14 Aug. 2017
Only state legislators raised the issue of cost in introducing the legislation.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "Lawsuit: Indiana law forcing precinct consolidation violates voters' rights," 9 Aug. 2017
In the first half of this year, state legislators enacted 133 immigration laws, almost double the 70 passed in 2016, according to a new report from the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures.

— niraj chokshi, New York Times, "States Have Already Passed Almost Twice as Many Immigration Laws as Last Year," 7 Aug. 2017
On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal presented three potential candidates to primary Cuomo: Syracuse mayor Stephanie Miner, former state legislator Terry Gipson, and …

— gabriella paiella, The Cut, "Could Cynthia Nixon Primary Andrew Cuomo?," 4 Aug. 2017
Kentucky passed its first-ever charter law this year — where are the Bluegrass State legislators?

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "Betsy DeVos claims philosophy of Margaret ‘Iron Lady’ Thatcher as her own," 20 July 2017
And that’s just to cover the per diem that each legislator will receive, said RJ DeSilva, a spokesman for the Legislative Budget Board.

— anna m. tinsley, star-telegram, "Taxpayers’ tab at least $34,580 a day when Texas lawmakers meet in special session," 16 July 2017
Boise Police Department Chief Bill Bones led the march across town as attendees called on Idaho legislators to reject the bill, which some fear could strip millions of people of their health care benefits.

— nicole blanchard, idahostatesman, "Idahoans rally, march in push urging lawmakers to reject Senate health care bill," 16 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of legislator

Latin legis lator, literally, proposer of a law, from legis (genitive of lex law) + lator proposer, from ferre (past participle latus) to carry, propose — more at tolerate, bear

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1513

See Words from the same year

legislator Synonyms

Synonyms

lawgiver, lawmaker, solon

Related Words

assemblyman, assemblywoman; congressman, congresswoman; senator

LEGISLATOR Defined for English Language Learners

legislator

play

noun

Definition of legislator for English Language Learners

: a person who makes laws : a member of a legislature

LEGISLATOR Defined for Kids

legislator

play

noun leg·is·la·tor \ ˈle-jə-ˌslā-ˌtȯr , -ˌslā-tər \

Definition of legislator for Students

:a person who makes laws and is a member of a legislature

Law Dictionary

legislator

play

noun leg·is·la·tor \ ˈle-jəs-ˌlā-tər, -ˌtȯr \

legal Definition of legislator

:a person who makes laws especially for a political unit; especially :a member of a legislative body

—

legislatorial

play \ˌle-jəs-lə-ˈtōr-ē-əl\ adjective

—

legislatorship

noun

Origin and Etymology of legislator

Latin legis lator, literally, proposer of a law, from legis (genitive of lex law) + lator proposer, from ferre (past participle latus) to carry, propose