committee of the whole


noun
  1. the entire membership of a legislative body, sitting in a deliberative rather than a legislative capacity, for informal debate and preliminary consideration of matters awaiting legislative action.

Origin of committee of the whole

1
First recorded in 1745–55

Words Nearby committee of the whole

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use committee of the whole in a sentence

  • Their decisions were made in committee-of-the-whole, and nothing was done that could not meet with the willing consent of all.