legislature

noun

leg·​is·​la·​ture ˈle-jə-ˌslā-chər 

also ˌle-jə-ˈslā-

British often ˈle-jə-slə-chə

: 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

When Laughton was elected as a state representative in 2012, she was considered to be the first openly transgender person elected to a state legislature. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 10 Nov. 2025

While many states have sought to attract data centers as an economic boon, legislatures and utility commissions were also flooded with proposals to try to protect regular ratepayers from paying to connect data centers to the grid. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025

The city is under mounting pressure to address its minimum wage laws after the state legislature passed a bill earlier this year that gave cities greater flexibility to do so. —Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025

But Democratic Mayor Eddie Melton basically went to the state legislature, secured a bunch of funding to put things in motion for Gary, and returned to the city to become mayor and execute those things. —Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for legislature

• nomenclature
• nature

Kids Definition

legislature

noun

leg·​is·​la·​ture ˈlej-ə-ˌslā-chər 

: an organized body of persons having the authority to make laws

Legal Definition

legislature

noun

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

: 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