parliament

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 Iraq’s parliament voted in favor of expelling U.S. troops, prompting the U.S. to threaten sanctions if forced to leave. — Benoit Faucon, WSJ, "U.S. Plans to Renew Sanctions Waiver on Iraq’s Imports of Iranian Power," 6 Feb. 2020 Kosovo’s parliament on Monday voted in a new prime minister after nearly four months of talks between the country’s two main parties. — Washington Post, "Trump’s envoy urges Kosovo to drop taxes on Serbian goods," 4 Feb. 2020 In response to a public outcry over the U.S. airstrike, Iraq’s parliament passed a non-binding resolution this month, calling on the government to expel foreign troops from the country. — Time, "Hundreds Gather in Baghdad to Demand American Troops Leave," 24 Jan. 2020 Though such debate is a feature of Haitian life, the country’s parliament is silent. — The Economist, "Gourdean knot Jovenel Moïse tries to govern Haiti without a parliament," 18 Jan. 2020 Hoffman said despite the vote in Iraq’s parliament, the Pentagon believes the consensus in Iraq is that the U.S. presence there is a force for good. — Jamie Mcintyre, Washington Examiner, "Senators worry Trump will end counterterrorism missions in Africa," 17 Jan. 2020 The country’s parliament later voted to expel U.S. forces, and thousands of protesters turned out in Baghdad and southern Iraq demanded the U.S. as well as Iran leave the country. — NBC News, "U.S. restarts counter-ISIS operations paused after Soleimani killing," 16 Jan. 2020 South Africa’s parliament passed a Copyright Amendment Bill in 2018 that president Cyril Ramaphosa has yet to sign into law. — Daniel Friedman, Billboard, "South African Music Rights Agency Partners With Tech Firm to Boost Streaming Collections," 15 Jan. 2020 The group, which has no representation in the country’s parliament, was ordered to issue correction notices on Facebook posts that the government said contained false claims about the displacement of Singaporean white-collar workers by foreigners. — Mary Hui, Quartz, "Singapore’s fake news law is facing its first real challenge in court," 14 Jan. 2020

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

13 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Parliament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parliament. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.

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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

: 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

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