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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Federal

2 of 2

noun

1
as in fed

Related Words
2
as in Confederate

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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
None of the money was ever returned to the customers, and Engle provided them with false excuses as to why the loans hadn’t been funded, federal attorneys said. — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Aug. 2026 Their hope is to get that plan submitted and accepted under the previous guidelines, to create certainty for their operations going forward regardless of how the federal rule change fares. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026 Joseph Henrichsen now faces additional charges of assaulting a federal employee with a deadly weapon, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer, the release said. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 31 July 2026 In an interview, Stitt discussed the dust-up with Trump, warned against efforts to federalize elections, and expressed concern that a mammoth federal government has contributed to the country's tense political climate. — ABC News, 31 July 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
  • Kmele Foster is a media entrepreneur, commentator, and regular contributor to various national publications.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Adding in the other states that have reported cases, the national total stands at over 25,000.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of national
Noun
  • No one was giving the G-men an iota of a chance, but thanks to a brilliant game by New York's front four, the Patriots were clinging to just a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 May 2026
  • Jessica Hecht, playing one of the hostages, adds her typically off-beat depth, and I was most amused by John Ortiz as the FBI agent with the standard G-man voice and personality to match.
    — Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of G-man
Noun
  • He was drafted at 18 and, after the war, pursued singing at the American Theatre Wing—an education funded by the GI Bill.
    — Eleni N. Gage, Architectural Digest, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Ranking fourth best in the country were Northwestern’s gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, and pulmonary and lung surgery programs.
    — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of GI
Adjective
  • Yu will be responsible for overseeing the business, legal and governmental affairs strategies and activities for the company globally, and succeeds Julie Swidler, who stepped down from the post earlier this summer.
    — Jem Aswad, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
  • National Night Out is hosted throughout the first Tuesday in August across the United States to support public services such as law enforcement, emergency responders and governmental agencies.
    — Zaire Breedlove, Charlotte Observer, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of governmental
Noun
  • The team's 33-15 loss gave it a 2-11 record, which is the worst nark in the NFC.
    — Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
  • 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
Definition of narc
Noun
  • This imaging test uses a tracer that attaches to PSMA proteins, allowing doctors to identify where prostate cancer cells may be located throughout the body.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 15 June 2026
  • Many health care workers served longer, harder deployments than mine — Sierra Leonean nurses, Guinean contact tracers, Liberian community health workers — and carried equal or greater burdens, yet Americans rarely heard their stories.
    — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 20 May 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
  • What is also notable is that there’s a sharp drop-off after the top three, which is followed by a long, gradual tail.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
  • The family dog, named by local media as Rocky, was found alive after one of the rescuers spotted his tail poking out of the rubble.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
Definition of tail

Browse Nearby Words

fed
federal
Federal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Federal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/federal. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on federal

Nglish: Translation of federal for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All