attorney general

American  

noun

plural

attorneys general, attorney generals

1. the chief law officer of a country or state and head of its legal department. att. gen.

2. Attorney General, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice: a member of the president's cabinet. Atty. Gen.

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Attorney General ¹ British  

noun

1. (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

2. (in the US) the chief law officer and legal adviser to the Administration: head of the Department of Justice and member of the cabinet

3. (in Australia and New Zealand) the chief government law officer: a member of Parliament and usually a cabinet minister

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attorney general ² British  

noun

1. a country's chief law officer and senior legal adviser to its government

2. (in the US) the chief law officer and legal adviser of a state government

3. (in some states of the US) a public prosecutor

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Etymology

Origin of attorney general

First recorded in 1575–85

Compare meaning

How does attorney-general compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• solicitor general vs. attorney general

Example Sentences

As assistant attorney general, Delrahim authorized a lawsuit seeking to block the deal, saying it would have cemented Visa’s monopoly in online debit transactions.

From The Wall Street Journal

Bonta said he and other attorney generals have not decided whether they will seek a restraining order or temporary injunction to change the new funding policy.

From Los Angeles Times

Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, has promised hundreds of thousands more documents before the end of the year.

From BBC

Sir Brian has now sent a letter updating the prime minister, the attorney general and the home secretary on the investigation into the false evidence.

From BBC

The assistant attorney general added that the legal case showed the value that the US government placed on "the integrity of its naturalisation process".

From BBC