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
At the time, Parson cited two amendments related to criminal expungements and restitution as his reason for overriding the state legislature.
—
Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
The alleged practice violates Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, the lawsuit contends, a law the state legislature passed in 2008 to protect people from details of their physical characteristics being collected without their knowledge.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
But left unresolved is who has the right to decide what is appropriate for each patient: parents and doctors, or the state legislature?
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024
In addition to Iowa’s new law, Cid says several recent immigration proposals in the state failed to clear the legislature.
—Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
And Minnesota Public Radio reports that other council members are waiting to see if the state legislature takes action before July.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
After the state legislature established the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission in 1967, which promoted statewide and local celebrations of the country’s bicentennial, Huntington Beach formed a special committee in the early 1970s to plan a celebration parade.
—Hanna Kang, Orange County Register, 12 Apr. 2024
The Cowboy State legislature recently changed nonresident allocation from 25 percent to 10 percent, dropping the number of nonresident tags by half.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
In the nation's early days, many states awarded their electoral votes by having the state legislature choose electors.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
The alleged practice violates Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, the lawsuit contends, a law the state legislature passed in 2008 to protect people from details of their physical characteristics being collected without their knowledge.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
But left unresolved is who has the right to decide what is appropriate for each patient: parents and doctors, or the state legislature?
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024
In addition to Iowa’s new law, Cid says several recent immigration proposals in the state failed to clear the legislature.
—Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
And Minnesota Public Radio reports that other council members are waiting to see if the state legislature takes action before July.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
After the state legislature established the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission in 1967, which promoted statewide and local celebrations of the country’s bicentennial, Huntington Beach formed a special committee in the early 1970s to plan a celebration parade.
—Hanna Kang, Orange County Register, 12 Apr. 2024
The Cowboy State legislature recently changed nonresident allocation from 25 percent to 10 percent, dropping the number of nonresident tags by half.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024
In the nation's early days, many states awarded their electoral votes by having the state legislature choose electors.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legislature.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near legislature
Cite this Entry
“Legislature.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legislature. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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