Definition of senate
1 : an assembly or council usually possessing high deliberative and legislative functions: such asa : the supreme council of the ancient Roman republic and empireb : the second chamber in the bicameral legislature of a major political unit (such as a nation, state, or province)
2 : the hall or chamber in which a senate meets
3 : a governing body of some universities charged with maintaining academic standards and regulations and usually composed of the principal or representative members of the faculty
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Examples of senate in a Sentence
the New York State Senate
The Senate approved the bill.
The Senate voted to repeal the tax cut.
Recent Examples of senate from the Web
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In a meeting at the Pakistani senate in December, a former interior minister insisted that the culprits in Balochistan are Indian agents disguised in Pakistani uniform.
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Martiny is prevented by term limits from seeking re-election to his 10th District senate seat.
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Neither bill, in the end, would likely secure the 50 votes necessary for passage, but the process might give the 52 nervous GOPers in the senate a face-saving way out of this mess.
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With the help of 15 Republican legislators, the Illinois senate overrode Rauner's veto Tuesday, and if the house follows suit, the budget plan and tax increase will become law, at last putting an end to the budget impasse that started in 2015.
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Unfortunately, the bill failed in the state senate, despite flying through the house and even gaining the support of some former Democratic legislators.
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Fernandez is running for a senate seat for Buenos Aires province.
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University of Kansas donors will be inheriting two more prime-position sections from students for basketball games at Allen Fieldhouse, the result of an agreement between KU Athletics and the student senate finalized last week.
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The vote is necessary to begin a process that allows the senate to take a final vote by the end of the week.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'senate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of senate
Middle English senat, from Anglo-French, from Latin senatus, from sen-, senex old, old man — more at senior
SENATE Defined for English Language Learners
senate
playDefinition of senate for English Language Learners
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the Senate : the smaller group of the two groups of people who meet to discuss and make the laws of a country, state, etc.; especially : the smaller group of the two groups that form the U.S. Congress
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: a group of people who govern some colleges and universities
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the Senate : the group of officials who led the ancient Roman government
SENATE Defined for Kids
senate
playDefinition of senate for Students
1 cap : the upper house of a legislature (as the United States Congress)
2 : a governing body
Law Dictionary
senate
playLegal Definition of senate
: the upper chamber in a bicameral legislature; especially capitalized : the upper house of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature
Learn More about senate
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See words that rhyme with senate Spanish Central: Translation of senate Nglish: Translation of senate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of senate for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about senate
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