federal

1 of 2

adjective

fed·​er·​al ˈfe-d(ə-)rəl 

1

a

: of or constituting a form of government in which power is distributed between a central authority and a number of constituent territorial units

b

: of or relating to the central government of a federation as distinguished from the governments of the constituent units

c

: formed by a compact between political units that surrender their individual sovereignty to a central authority but retain limited residuary powers of government

2

often Federal : of, relating to, or loyal to the federal government or the Union armies of the U.S. in the American Civil War

3

Federal : being or belonging to a style of architecture and decoration current in the U.S. following the American Revolution

4

Federal : advocating or friendly to the principle of a federal government with strong centralized powers

especially : of or relating to the American Federalists

5

archaic : of or relating to a compact or treaty

federally

ˈfe-d(ə-)rə-lē 

adverb

Federal

2 of 2

noun

1

: a supporter of the U.S. government in the Civil War

especially : a soldier in the federal armies

2

: fed sense 1

—usually used in plural

The Federals arrested the smugglers.

Examples of federal in a Sentence

Adjective

We pay federal, state, and local taxes.

The ruling was overturned by a federal appeals court.

furniture made in the Federal style

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Federal agents are currently roaming cities under the ruse of going after murderers and rapists but are instead pulling anyone who doesn't fit their idea of what an American looks like out of cars, homes and schools using thuggish methods. —Arkansas Online, 22 Jan. 2026

The defense rested Wednesday in the federal trial of Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, who is accused of soliciting the murder of Border Patrol Commander at Large Greg Bovino by offering cash rewards through Snapchat, according to The Associated Press. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Former county Supervisor Andrew Do, who is now serving federal prison time for accepting bribes in his county post, was chairman of the CalOptima board at that time. —Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 22 Jan. 2026

Those are federal requests to local law enforcement to detain individuals for up to 48 hours after they're set to be released from criminal confinement — which gives ICE time to decide whether to take them into custody to begin deportation proceedings. —Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin foeder-, foedus compact, league; akin to Latin fidere to trust — more at bide

First Known Use

Adjective

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Noun

1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing federal

• federal case
• federal court
• federal district
• federal district court
• federal funds
• make a federal case out of

Rhymes for federal

• confederal
• nonfederal

Kids Definition

federal

1 of 2 adjective

fed·​er·​al ˈfed-(ə-)rəl 

1

a

: formed by an agreement between political units that surrender supreme authority to a central authority but keep certain powers

b

: of or being a form of government in which power is distributed between a central authority and individual units

2

often capitalized : of, relating to, or loyal to the U.S. federal government during the American Civil War

federally

-rə-lē 

adverb

Federal

2 of 2 noun

Fed·​er·​al

ˈfed-(ə-)rəl

1

: a supporter of the government of the U.S. in the American Civil War

especially : a soldier in the federal armies

2

: a federal agent or officer

Legal Definition

federal

adjective

fed·​er·​al

1

: of or constituting a form of government in which power is distributed between a central authority and a number of constituent territorial units (as states)

a federal government

2

: of or relating to the central government of a federation as distinguished from the governments of the constituent territorial units (as states)

especially : of or relating to the laws made and enforced by the federal government

a federal crime

federally adverb

Etymology

Adjective

Latin foeder-, foedus compact, league