parliament

noun par·lia·ment \ ˈpär-lə-mənt also ˈpärl-yə- \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Examples: parliament in a Sentence

Definition of parliament

1 : a formal conference for the discussion of public affairs; specifically : a council of state in early medieval England

2 a : an assemblage of the nobility, clergy, and commons called together by the British sovereign as the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom

b : a similar assemblage in another nation or state

3 a : the supreme legislative body of a usually major political unit that is a continuing institution comprising a series of individual assemblages

b : the British House of Commons

4 : one of several principal courts of justice existing in France before the Revolution of 1789

See parliament defined for English-language learners

See parliament defined for kids

Examples of parliament in a Sentence

The parliament has authority over the armed forces.
The issue was debated in Parliament.
The law was passed in the present parliament.

Recent Examples of parliament from the Web

But among May's supporters in parliament, condemnation of the interview was swift.

— john fritze, USA TODAY, "Trump's bombshell interview with UK tabloid threatens to overshadow visit to Britain," 13 July 2018
Female representation has increased in national parliaments, from 15% in 2002 to 19.8% in 2012, the most recent year available.

— james stavridis, Time, "Democracy Isn't Perfect, But It Will Still Prevail," 12 July 2018
The attack began in the morning when a suicide car bomber detonated at the gate of the interior ministry, which is close to the presidential palace and the headquarters of parliament, police Capt.

— abdi guled, Fox News, "At least 9 dead in ongoing attack on Somali ministry," 7 July 2018
Jeremy Thorpe served as a member of the British parliament for 12 years, beginning in 1967.

— adam rathe, Town & Country, "A Very English Scandal Star Hugh Grant on the Crime That Shocked Britain," 30 June 2018
But, then her coalition partner would leave the coalition, which would leave her without a majority in parliament, which would be tough.

— NBC News, "Germany's Merkel faces political crisis over migrant policy," 15 June 2018
The Saeroon Alliance claimed 54 of the 328 seats in the parliament, the most of any coalition.

— marilia brocchetto, CNN, "Fire breaks out at Baghdad warehouse storing ballot boxes for Iraq's election recount," 10 June 2018
The president of the European parliament, Antonio Tajani, had on Monday unveiled that Zuckerberg’s appearance would be live-streamed at 6:15 p.m. local time/9:15 a.m. PT after original plans to hold the meeting behind closed doors.

— georg szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, "Watch: Mark Zuckerberg Grilled by European Parliament Live," 22 May 2018
But on Monday, senior lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, decided to hold off until May 15 before considering any counter-sanctions against the United States.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Trump put the brakes on new Russian sanctions, reversing Haley's announcement," 17 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'parliament.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of parliament

Middle English, from Anglo-French parlement, from parler

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

parliament Synonyms

Synonyms

congress;

general assembly, legislative assembly;

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

PARLIAMENT Defined for English Language Learners

parliament

noun

Definition of parliament for English Language Learners

: the group of people who are responsible for making the laws in some kinds of government
Parliament : a particular parliament; especially : the parliament of the United Kingdom that includes the House of Commons and the House of Lords
: the period of time during which a parliament is working

PARLIAMENT Defined for Kids

parliament

noun par·lia·ment \ ˈpär-lə-mənt \

Definition of parliament for Students

: an assembly that is the highest legislative body of a country (as the United Kingdom)

Law Dictionary

parliament

noun par·lia·ment \ ˈpär-lə-mənt, ˈpärl-yə- \

legal Definition of parliament

1 a : an assemblage of the nobility, clergy, and commons called together by the British sovereign as the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom

b : a similar assemblage in another nation or state

2 : the supreme legislative body of a usually major political unit that is a continuing institution comprising a series of individual assemblages