as in parliaments
a group of people with the power to make or change laws
Our legislature passed a law requiring people to wear safety belts. Each state has its own legislature. state legislatures
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Recent Examples of legislatures
Both the Kansas and Missouri legislatures have extended the team’s incentive package deadlines to give them more time to make a decision.
—
Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
When state legislatures restrict oversight out of political expediency, that is legal violence.
—Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
How the courts and legislatures balance the rights of the majority and minority in these disputes over the place of the Ten Commandments in public life may go a long way toward shaping the future of religious freedom in American public education.
—Lydia Artz, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
Election laws are set by state legislatures, and are then governed by a combination of the governor, the attorney general, the chief election official and the state board of elections.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 31 Aug. 2025
This is the moment the conversation must widen beyond labs and journals to living rooms, boardrooms, and legislatures.
—Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
As Republicans moved to have state legislatures under their umbrella of control add more favorable seats to the 2026 midterm maps in Texas, Ohio and Indiana, Newsom matched the bare-knuckle approach with a new version of California's congressional maps that would eliminate five GOP-leaning seats.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
Two-thirds of the House and Senate would need to adopt a Constitutional amendment, followed by ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Some state legislatures are bucking the momentum.
—Jeff Amy, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2025
Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
When state legislatures restrict oversight out of political expediency, that is legal violence.
—Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
How the courts and legislatures balance the rights of the majority and minority in these disputes over the place of the Ten Commandments in public life may go a long way toward shaping the future of religious freedom in American public education.
—Lydia Artz, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
Election laws are set by state legislatures, and are then governed by a combination of the governor, the attorney general, the chief election official and the state board of elections.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 31 Aug. 2025
This is the moment the conversation must widen beyond labs and journals to living rooms, boardrooms, and legislatures.
—Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
As Republicans moved to have state legislatures under their umbrella of control add more favorable seats to the 2026 midterm maps in Texas, Ohio and Indiana, Newsom matched the bare-knuckle approach with a new version of California's congressional maps that would eliminate five GOP-leaning seats.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
Two-thirds of the House and Senate would need to adopt a Constitutional amendment, followed by ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Some state legislatures are bucking the momentum.
—Jeff Amy, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legislatures
Noun
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The king presented the lawmakers with an hour glass to time their speeches, and highlighted the fundamental role of strong parliaments to democracy.—
Reuters,
CNN,
19 Oct. 2024
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This remains below the standard set by some European parliaments, such as in Germany and Norway, which have required parties to win four to five percent of electoral votes, respectively.—
Shalom Lipner,
Foreign Affairs,
26 Apr. 2018
Noun
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The 48 megapixel camera houses a telephoto lens with 1x, 2x, 4x and 8× optical zoom and 8K recording capabilities.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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The couple put offers on half a dozen houses.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The immersive professional development program is available for students and early career professionals at technical conferences and congresses around the world.—
Joanna Goodrich,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legislatures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legislatures. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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