federal 1 of 2

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Federal

2 of 2

noun

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
Fugitive with fake name found in Georgia escaped custody in Caribbean, feds say A man accused of murder in Saint Lucia, Orville Andrew Pernell, was found in Georgia after escaping custody in the Caribbean twice, according to federal prosecutors. Miami Herald, 16 May 2025 When leaders place loyalists in charge of federal law enforcement, attempts to conjure votes for the president out of thin air or to seize ballot boxes in opposition districts are more likely to succeed. Erica Frantz, The Conversation, 16 May 2025 But questions remain about what proposed federal cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid would mean for Connecticut’s budget, and the many holes that surplus funding would be needed to fill. Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2025 The Supreme Court on Friday paused the deportation of a group of Venezuelan nationals under the Alien Enemies Act in Texas and instructed a federal appeals court to review the case. Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for federal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for federal
Adjective
  • Some justices criticize national injunctions Some Supreme Court justices have expressed displeasure with universal injunctions, especially Justice Neil Gorsuch, one of the court’s six conservative justices.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 12 May 2025
  • The Cowgirls were the No. 5 national seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and swept a home regional and super regional.
    Ethan Westerman, Arkansas Online, 12 May 2025
Noun
  • The Colorado quarterback had once teased being picked by the New York Giants, wearing custom red, white and blue cleats during a game when the G-men were the top candidate for the first overall pick.
    Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Cameron directed Arnold Schwarzenegger in this influential action pic about a family man who also happens to be a G-man.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The patient will drink a solution that microbes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract metabolize.
    Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 16 May 2025
  • Thankfully not cancer—just GI issues and lifestyle changes.
    Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • You’re automatically dubbed a narc, a kiss-ass, a too-cool.
    Brandi California, SPIN, 1 July 2024
  • The software, which would effectively act like a narc embedded on people’s iPhones, could have unintended consequences, critics said, despite Apple’s assurances that it would be used solely to stop child predators.
    Declan Harty, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2021
Noun
  • But this lower end of the galactic scale is still rather murky, in part because the stars that serve as observable tracers of small galaxies can form even smaller structures called star clusters.
    Phil Plait, Scientific American, 8 May 2025
  • Contact tracers tried to identify everyone exposed and figure out where the virus might have come from.
    Kelsey Piper, Vox, 8 May 2022
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
Noun
  • The shark skin can be applied to an aircraft’s fuselage, wings, and tail, and could improve efficiency up to 4 percent, according to Micro Tau estimates.
    Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 3 May 2025
  • Lose a tail and stem cells in the spinal cord sync up like an orchestra, accelerating their division in unison to rebuild the missing structure.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Noun
  • Similarly, in October 2023, Orange County investigators used the technology to identity Michael Ray Schlicht of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, whose body had been found in 1974 near in unincorporated Laguna Hills, now the city of Aliso Viejo, California.
    Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 13 May 2025
  • With a fingerprint match in hand, Santa Clara County investigators and San Jose police traveled to Ohio earlier this year to collect a DNA sample from Sims, with assistance from Ashtabula County authorities.
    Bethany Brown, People.com, 12 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Federal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/federal. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

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