senate

noun

sen·ate | \ˈse-nət

Definition of senate

1 : an assembly or council usually possessing high deliberative and legislative functions: such as

a : the supreme council of the ancient Roman republic and empire

b : 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

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 on the Web

Those states have produced four female gubernatorial nominees and one senate race in Nebraska, where two women will face off in November. — NBC News, "In 2018, Women candidates are on track to make history," 27 May 2018 That year, Baltimore voters elected a city schoolteacher named Verda Welcome to the Maryland Senate — the first black woman in the United States elected to a state senate. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Collapse: The rise and deadly fall of a Baltimore rowhouse," 12 July 2018 He was elected to the senate in 2014 after serving in the House of Delegates from 2007 to 2015. — Leah Brennan, Howard County Times, "Howard councilwoman makes the cut for open seat in House of Delegates," 28 June 2018 This starts with electing candidates like Laura Ellman to the state senate. — Naperville Sun, "Letters to the Editor: Hultgren's slow to respond on immigration issue, Ellman understands need for gun law reform, more," 22 June 2018 They were arrested and removed, so protesters blocked a different entrance to the senate, starting a very slow and orchestrated cat-and-mouse game between the state police and the PPC. — Matt Stieb, Daily Intelligencer, "The Return of the Poor People’s Campaign," 19 June 2018 She was ultimately fired by ABC because of her involvement with a group that sought to block Bobby Kennedy's rise to the U.S. senate by supporting the reelection of Republican Sen. Kenneth Keating. — Sarah Moreno, miamiherald, "'My dearest Fidel' film to portray Cold War affair between Castro and U.S. journalist," 6 June 2018 An effort to overturn Indiana’s ban on light rail failed in the state’s senate in March. — Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, "Amazon second headquarters contest jumpstarts languishing transit, education projects," 29 June 2018 The victory in the 1st Senate district comes after Democrats flipped an equally Republican state senate in western Wisconsin in January. — Craig Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin special elections: Five takeaways in races that saw Democrats win one and GOP win another," 13 June 2018

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.

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Last Updated

18 Oct 2018

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

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More Definitions for senate

senate

noun

English Language Learners Definition of senate

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

: a group of people who govern some colleges and universities

the Senate : the group of officials who led the ancient Roman government

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

senate

noun

sen·ate | \ˈse-nət