parliament

noun

par·lia·ment | \ˈpär-lə-mənt

also ˈpärl-yə-

Definition of parliament

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

2a : 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

3a : 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

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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 on the Web

Silvio Berlusconi, the Lazarus of Italian politics, returned to parliament in September 2019, after a ban relating to his conviction in a tax-fraud case expired. — The Economist, "Breaking point: December 2020," 5 July 2018 The new draft bill was presented to parliament by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and represents a defeat for the nationalist government. — Fox News, "The Latest: Israel Holocaust center welcomes Polish law move," 28 June 2018 Turkey was also electing 600 lawmakers to parliament — 50 more than in the previous assembly. — Suzan Fraser, Elene Becatoros, Time, "Partial Results Show Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Leading in Country's Elections," 24 June 2018 Turkey will also be electing 600 lawmakers to parliament on Sunday — 50 more than in the previous assembly. — Suzan Fraser, chicagotribune.com, "Erdogan seeks to cement power in Turkey's high-stakes votes," 24 June 2018 Rajoy himself conceded defeat in a short speech to parliament. — Esteban Duarte, Bloomberg.com, "Rajoy Concedes, Sanchez Will Become Prime Minister: Spain Update," 1 June 2018 Geagea had to endorse Hariri, who has been confirmed as prime minister once more with Hezbollah’s blessing, despite his Lebanese Forces publicly complaining of Hezbollah efforts to exclude it from prominent positions in parliament and the cabinet. — Renad Mansour, Washington Post, "An emerging populism is sweeping the Middle East," 11 July 2018 Even in Canada, the parliament and the provinces retain the power to reverse Supreme Court decisions with supermajority votes. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, "Court-packing, Democrats’ nuclear option for the Supreme Court, explained," 2 July 2018 Just as Trump's tough talk is often directed toward his political base, U.S. allies have to answer to their own parliaments and publics, where Trump is highly unpopular. — Karen Deyoung, Anchorage Daily News, "In Trump, some see the end of the world order," 8 June 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.

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Last Updated

9 Oct 2018

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The first known use of parliament was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for parliament

parliament

noun

English Language Learners Definition of parliament

: 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

See the full definition for parliament in the English Language Learners Dictionary

parliament

noun

par·lia·ment | \ˈpär-lə-mənt

Kids Definition of parliament

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

parliament

noun

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

Legal Definition of parliament

1a : 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