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
How does attorney-general compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
She instead pointed to the state law that requires the secretary of state to “promptly” refer complaints to the attorney general if “there is reasonable cause to suspect that criminal conduct occurred.”
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Recall organizers secured approval from the California attorney general to file a lawsuit to remove the four officials from office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
By the summer of 1924, Harding’s successor, Calvin Coolidge, had gotten rid of Burns and appointed a new attorney general, Harlan Fiske Stone.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Paramount has pushed for a November trial, while California Attorney General Rob Bonta told The Wall Street Journal he favors a January start date.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Todd Blanche’s hearing to become US Attorney General has begun.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 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
In May, Rob Bonta, the Attorney General of California, sued the company following an investigation that found 23andMe "failed to take basic steps to protect users' data."
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Attorney General Robert Kennedy had given Southern theater owners an ultimatum: desegregate voluntarily—now—or the federal government would do it for them.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
