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

Keitaro Ohno, a leading defense official in Japan’s parliament, told me and a small group of US reporters in his Tokyo office on Tuesday that the government will announce the decision during a rollout of new defense guidelines next week. — Alex Ward, Vox, "Japan plans to purchase nearly 150 F-35 fighter jets from the US," 12 Dec. 2018 Canada’s parliament voted to legalise the recreational use of cannabis. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 21 June 2018 The country’s parliament voted 75 to 30 to implement a law that prohibits wearing veils in public, the BBC reported. — Abigail Abrams, Time, "Denmark Just Became the Latest European Country to Ban Burqas And Niqabs," 1 June 2018 Political power in Iraq is traditionally divided along sectarian lines among the offices of prime minister, president and parliament speaker. — NBC News, "Muqtada al-Sadr's coalition takes early lead in Iraqi elections," 14 May 2018 Most pollsters say Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win a second five-year term in a general election that began on Thursday to elect parliament’s lower house. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Modi’s Reform Disappointment," 14 Apr. 2019 Local authorities in Aden, who are allied with the United Arab Emirates, refused to allow parliament to convene there. — Ahmed Al-haj, The Seattle Times, "Yemen’s parliament convenes, elects speaker," 13 Apr. 2019 Five years later, the tiny East African country of almost 12 million made headlines for being the first in history to achieve a female majority parliament, with 56 percent. — Caterina Clerici & Eléonore Hamelin, Marie Claire, "Rwanda's Future Is Female," 1 Feb. 2019 In 2007, he was elected to parliament on the ticket of the nationalist LDPR party, which has strong Kremlin ties. — Greg Norman, Fox News, "Russians accused of crimes abroad finding fame in their homeland," 13 Sep. 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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22 May 2019

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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

: 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