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

Medicaid expansion was also top of mind for Democratic winners in Georgia and Texas, where the party elected governors and won control of the lower house of their state legislatures. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2026

By his own account, virtually every requirement the legislature wrote was met by the Cloudflare board. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026

The Democratic wave that flipped control of Congress from Republicans on Election Day also washed through to the state and local level, with several legislatures seeing historic changes in their balance of power. — Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026

Scott is set to become Washington’s first openly transgender state legislator and the first out Black transgender woman elected to a state legislature in the country. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 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