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 very least, legislatures need to address the impact of data centers and complete their work on the risks of AI bias. —Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2026

So does the role Greenland’s own legislature is playing in the discussions. —Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026

Those who might be displaced or de-skilled by the advancing tech wave will fight in the office with passive aggression, in the media with poisonous leaks delivered at just the worst time, and in legislatures through the voting power of the bureaucrats, teachers’ unions, and other interest groups. —Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026

Governors and legislatures have used those surplus funds to create one of the largest rainy day funds in the nation while wiping out roughly $10 billion in pension debt. —Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026

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