bicameral

adjective

bi·​cam·​er·​al (ˌ)bī-ˈkam-rəl 

-ˈka-mə-

government : having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers (see chamber entry 1 sense 4a)

a bicameral legislature comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate

bicameralism

(ˌ)bī-ˈkam-rə-ˌli-zəm, 

-ˈka-mə- 

noun

Examples of bicameral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Peruvians will also choose a bicameral Congress for the first time in more than 30 years, following recent reforms of the legislature that will concentrate a great deal of power in the new upper chamber. —Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Under the new bicameral structure, impeaching the president will be easier, with the Senate only needing 40 of the 60 senators to approve it. —ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026

The House left town for recess, just a day after the Senate, with no bicameral path to fund the department. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026

Leaders in both chambers have suggested that the Senate bill is likely to go to a bicameral conference to reconcile their differences. —Bob Woods, CNBC, 29 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

bi- entry 1 + Late Latin camera chamber — more at chamber

First Known Use

circa 1832, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bicameral

• unicameral

Kids Definition

bicameral

adjective

bi·​cam·​er·​al (ˈ)bī-ˈkam-(ə-)rəl 

: consisting of two legislative chambers

a bicameral legislature

Medical Definition

bicameral

adjective

bi·​cam·​er·​al (ˈ)bī-ˈkam-(ə-)rəl 

: having two chambers

Legal Definition

bicameral

adjective

bi·​cam·​er·​al ˌbī-ˈka-mə-rəl 

: having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers

a bicameral legislature

bicameralism

ˌbī-ˈka-mə-rə-ˌli-zəm 

noun

bicamerality

ˌbī-ˌka-mə-ˈra-lə-tē

noun