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

The language was tacked on in a last-minute amendment just before the legislature adjourned for the 2024 session. —Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025

Louisiana, however, is led by a Republican governor and the GOP controls both chambers of its state legislature. —Chantelle Lee, Time, 3 Sep. 2025

Xi, who is China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, was reappointed by China’s rubber-stamp legislature to be president for another five-year term in 2023. —Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025

Questions remain about fiscal impacts and legal feasibility; if and when the commission reports its findings to Indiana's governor and legislature, lawmakers will face decisions about whether to pursue negotiations that Illinois is unlikely to accept. —Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 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