legislature

leg·is·la·ture | \ ˈle-jə-ˌslā-chər

also ˌle-jə-ˈslā-, British often ˈle-jə-slə-chə \

Definition of legislature

: a body of persons having the power to legislate specifically : an organized body having the authority to make laws for a political unit

Examples of legislature in a Sentence

Our legislature passed a law requiring people to wear safety belts. Each state has its own legislature.

Recent Examples on the Web Mississippi’s legislature voted to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state flag, which has flown outside the Capitol building since 1894. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 4 July 2020 Clay County Judge Michael McHaney sided with a GOP legislature on the matter earlier this week, stating that Pritzker’s orders became void on April 8. — Anthony Leonardi, Washington Examiner, "Brett Kavanaugh declines request from Illinois Republicans to permit large political rallies amid coronavirus," 4 July 2020 And the state legislature would need to agree to pay for the state’s portion of funding for the expansion, at least 90 percent of which is covered by federal money under ACA rules. — Amy Goldstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Oklahomans back Medicaid expansion in narrow vote," 2 July 2020 The legislature deliberated for about a month before passing the national security bill into law on Tuesday. — Fox News, "Hundreds arrested in Hong Kong after China imposes new national security law," 2 July 2020 The law went into effect Jan. 1 after a winding and sometimes surprising route through a voter ballot process, the state legislature and a contentious amendment period culminating in a final version last fall. — Rachel Lerman, Washington Post, "California begins enforcing digital privacy law, despite calls for delay," 1 July 2020 Mississippi's legislature voted on Sunday to remove the flag, which was the last in the country to display the battle emblem. — Victoria Albert, CBS News, "Mississippi governor signs bill removing state flag with Confederate emblem," 1 July 2020 Ohio’s legislature is predominantly male and Lehner said the children’s caucus is predominantly female. — Emily Bamforth, cleveland, "Early education leaders discuss rebuilding ‘workforce behind the workforce’ after coronavirus closures," 1 July 2020 Beijing finally decided to circumvent the Hong Kong legislature and have the law passed Tuesday by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp parliament. — Zen Soo, The Christian Science Monitor, "In Hong Kong, arrests begin a day after passing new security law," 1 July 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'legislature.' 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

8 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Legislature.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legislature. Accessed 13 Jul. 2020.

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More Definitions for legislature

legislature

noun

English Language Learners Definition of legislature

: a group of people with the power to make or change laws

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

legislature

noun

leg·is·la·ture | \ ˈle-jə-ˌslā-chər

Kids Definition of legislature

: a body of persons having the power to make and change laws

legislature

noun

leg·is·la·ture | \ ˈle-jəs-ˌlā-chər, -ˌchu̇r

Legal Definition of legislature

: a body of persons having the power to legislate specifically : an organized body having the authority to make laws for a political unit (as a nation or state) — compare executive, judiciary

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