legislature

noun

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 Rules of engagement: The sponsors of two resolutions to expel state Rep. Larry Householder from the legislature are slated to testify before the House Rules and Reference Committee on Thursday morning, according to a committee notice. — cleveland, 10 June 2021 One of the first forays in a mounting conservative campaign to control the teaching of race was HB 3979, which was introduced in the Texas legislature this spring. — Benjamin Wallace-wells, The New Yorker, 10 June 2021 It was being considered in the state legislature but the House ran out of time in the legislative session to consider it. — Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 4 June 2021 Through funding from the state legislature, 321 leading Alabama students have also been at Space Camp through the first two weeks. — Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, 3 June 2021 Paxton, meanwhile, has been state attorney general since 2015 after serving in the Texas legislature for more than a decade as both a state representative and state senator. — Ashley Killough, CNN, 2 June 2021 Dozens more have either passed laws with a later effective date — such as California and Colorado, which has legislation set to move into law on Jan. 1, 2023 — or have bills currently under debate in the state legislature. — Paul Myerberg, USA Today, 26 May 2021 That same day, at a Hyatt in downtown Phoenix, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani was leading a rogue hearing hosted by Republicans from the state legislature - Republicans who believed Arizona was a red state, no matter what the numbers indicated. — Author: Dan Zak, Anchorage Daily News, 23 May 2021 That same day, at a Hyatt in downtown Phoenix, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani was leading a rogue hearing hosted by Republicans from the state legislature — Republicans who believed Arizona was a red state, no matter what the numbers indicated. — Dan Zak, Washington Post, 21 May 2021

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

15 Jun 2021

Cite this Entry

“Legislature.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legislature. Accessed 22 Jun. 2021.

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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