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

Four journalists who published allegations from the women and eight others in May 2016 also are defendants in the case filed by Denis Baupin, who resigned his leadership post in parliament’s lower house when the media reports came out. — Sylvie Corbet, The Seattle Times, "6 French women on trial for alleging lawmaker harassed them," 4 Feb. 2019 Kabuye is a member of parliament, and to this day the highest-ranking woman to have ever served in Rwanda’s military as a Lieutenant Colonel, making history by leading the RPF army back into Rwanda in the early 1990s. — Caterina Clerici & Eléonore Hamelin, Marie Claire, "Rwanda's Future Is Female," 1 Feb. 2019 The lawsuit gained new life last month when Kramer was confronted by Damian Collins, a British member of parliament currently leading an investigation into Facebook. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Judge slams bikini-app maker’s lawyers in legal clash with Facebook," 1 Dec. 2018 Under Congo’s constitution, the president has to select his prime minister from the largest party in parliament. — Gabriele Steinhauser, WSJ, "Congo Opposition Candidate Fayulu Appeals Election Results," 12 Jan. 2019 The information appeared to include data on members of all parties in parliament except those from the far-right Alternative for Germany party. — Geir Moulson, The Seattle Times, "German suspect in politician data hack says he acted alone," 8 Jan. 2019 One of them is that those countries that have introduced quotas for women in parliament show higher levels of participation of women in the labor force. — Sean Illing, Vox, "Want less poverty in the world? Empower women.," 5 Nov. 2018 But the pact has stirred political tensions across Europe, and prompted sparring in France’s parliament Tuesday. — Jamey Keaten, The Seattle Times, "Unfinished business: UN migrant pact inked, but foes remain," 11 Dec. 2018 Meghan chose the outfit for her and Prince Harry's meeting with Prime Minister S. Akilisi and parliament members. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Meghan Markle Wears a Striped Martin Grant Dress for Her Second Day in Tonga," 25 Oct. 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

13 Feb 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