federal 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of federalnext
as in national
of or relating to a federation or to its central government A federal system of government distributes power between a country's central and regional governments. The President, Congress, and the Supreme Court are all part of the federal government of the United States.

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Federal

2 of 2

noun

1
as in fed

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2
as in Confederate

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of federal
Adjective
The department says its analysis used voter-registration records and federal data, while maintaining that noncitizens are not eligible to vote in federal elections. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 In an unusual arrangement designed to protect public money, the federal government will take an equity stake in Helion. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026 Four conversations in which Lucas allegedly discussed her cannabis business included one or more unindicted colleagues between 2022 and March, according to the federal grand jury indictment of Lucas announced Thursday. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 23 Oct. 2026 And legislation to improve federal funding for menopause is underway. — Lyndon Haviland, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for federal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for federal
  1. national
  2. G-man
  3. GI
  4. governmental
  5. narc
  6. tracer
  7. plainclothesman
  8. tail
Adjective
  • But the talent for going viral that helped Ramaswamy gain a national profile has proved less successful this election cycle in Ohio.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Because of its proportional representation system – voters cast one vote for a national party-list – even the largest parties rarely win more than 35 seats, and Israel has always had coalition governments.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of national
Noun
  • Reach uses a crab trap to disarm a G-man brandishing an On the Waterfront–style hook.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Michael Biehn also plays a G-man who keeps tabs on Kammler’s work.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of G-man
Noun
  • New disclosures from Johnson & Johnson and peer developers on cyclization and amino acid substitution techniques used to extend peptide stability in the GI tract.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But eating too much fiber too quickly can cause gastrointestinal (GI) distress or cramps.
    — Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of GI
Adjective
  • The Binyamin Regional Council, an Israeli governmental body responsible for settlements in the area of the clashes, said the Palestinian Authority had sent activists to deliberately provoke residents of the Israeli settlement outpost near Abu Falah.
    — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The display did not impress everyone as evidence of governmental strength.
    — Maurizio Valsania, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of governmental
Noun
  • On Uncle, fish narc sheds his past experimental impulses and finds a new identity within ebullient, feel-good college rock.
    — Jeff Yerger, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
  • He gets dinged for a pesky OWI, loses his job at CBS, and then gets outed by some nark in Oklahoma.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of narc
Noun
  • Companies processed heavy mineral sands from Australia, Brazil, and India, and hard rock from South Africa, to produce rare earths for tracer ammunition, steel alloys, cigarette-lighter flints, and, later, color-TV phosphors.
    — Glenn Zorpette, IEEE Spectrum, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Unifi and 10 other North and Central American yarn producers launched YarnProof, an initiative using FibreTrace technology to embed an invisible, permanent tracer into polyester filament yarn during extrusion.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of tracer
Noun
  • Less than a month later, plainclothesmen arrested Nassar at a local tire store, and Munford took him into custody.
    — Jason Schmidt, Glamour, 30 Oct. 2018
  • Hustling bucks and ducking the Third Division boys, those earnest young plainclothesmen assigned to the vice squad who work out of the 17th Precinct on the East Side.
    — Gail Sheehy, Daily Intelligencer, 9 Sep. 2017
Definition of plainclothesman
Noun
  • Venice, Vienna, London, then years on the Proffers’ couch in Ann Arbor, then New York, a story ending, eventually, with coat tails, in Stockholm, receiving the Nobel Prize.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
  • There is nothing truly random about whether a coin comes up heads or tails.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of tail

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Cite this Entry

“Federal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/federal. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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