the chief law officer of a country or state and head of its legal department. att. gen.
Attorney General, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice: a member of the president's cabinet. Atty. Gen.
(in the United Kingdom except Scotland) the senior law officer and chief legal counsel of the Crown: a member of the government and of the House of Commons
(in the US) the chief law officer and legal adviser to the Administration: head of the Department of Justice and member of the cabinet
(in Australia and New Zealand) the chief government law officer: a member of Parliament and usually a cabinet minister
a country's chief law officer and senior legal adviser to its government
(in the US) the chief law officer and legal adviser of a state government
(in some states of the US) a public prosecutor
First recorded in 1575–85
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On Kalshi, users can bet on markets tied to Wisconsin elections, including who will win the gubernatorial race or become attorney general.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Rob Bonta, attorney general of California, which is leading a coalition of 12 states which last week sued to block the deal, welcomed the agreement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
That represents a major shift from how the division previously operated, said her predecessor, Kristen Clarke, who was the assistant attorney general overseeing the division during the Biden administration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Still, she said she doubts the attorney general would permit a fair investigation of his own conduct.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Oklahoma’s attorney general said, “Too much credit cannot be given these gentlemen.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has said prosecutors shouldn’t view prosecuting companies as their goal and should instead focus on holding individual wrongdoers accountable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
“I will hold the grudge for the rest of my life,” she says of former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
It’s shaping up to be a rough week for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
ConserveOhio completed the first three steps by April, getting approval from the Ohio Attorney General to move forward with signature collection at the beginning of the month.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Wolcott was one of only three high-ranking officials of the federal government within a day’s ride of Philadelphia, Attorney General Edmund Randolph and Postmaster General Timothy Pickering being the others.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
