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  Congress

  noun

  the bicameral federal legislature of the US, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate

congress

American  

[kong-gris, kuhn-gres, kuhng-] / ˈkɒŋ grɪs, kənˈgrɛs, kəŋ- /

noun

• congresses
  plural

1. (initial capital letter)

   1. the national legislative body of the U.S., consisting of the Senate, or upper house, and the House of Representatives, or lower house, as a continuous institution.

   2. this body as it exists for a period of two years during which it has the same membership.

      the Ninety-Seventh Congress.

   3. a session of this body.

      to speak in Congress.

2. the national legislative body of a nation, especially of a republic.

3. a formal meeting or assembly of representatives for the discussion, arrangement, or promotion of some matter of common interest.

   Synonyms:

   convention, council, conference

4. the act of coming together; an encounter; meeting.

5. an association, especially one composed of representatives of various organizations.

6. familiar relations; dealings intercourse.

7. sexual intercourse; coitus.

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verb (used without object)

1. to assemble together; meet in congress.

Congress ¹ British  

/ ˈkɒŋɡrɛs /

noun

1. the bicameral federal legislature of the US, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate

2. this body during any two-year term

3. Also called: Congress Party. Official name: Indian National Congress. (in India) a major political party, which controlled the Union government from 1947 to 1977

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congress ² British  

/ ˈkɒŋɡrɛs /

noun

1. a meeting or conference, esp of representatives of a number of sovereign states

2. a national legislative assembly

3. a society or association

4. sexual intercourse

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Congress Cultural  

1. The legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Popularly elected, senators and representatives are responsible for advocating the interests of the constituents they represent. Numerous congressional committees are organized to study issues of public policy, recommend action, and, ultimately, pass laws. Congress plays an important role in the system of checks and balances; in fact, the two-house (bicameral) organization of Congress acts as an internal check, for each house must separately vote to pass a bill for it to become a law. In addition to lawmaking, Congress has a variety of functions, including appropriation of funds for executive and judicial activities; instituting taxes and regulating commerce; declaring war and raising and supporting a military; setting up federal courts and conducting impeachment proceedings; and approving presidential appointments.

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Usage

What is Congress? Congress is the federal legislative body of the United States, which is responsible for passing federal, or nationwide, laws. In the United States, Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government. Only it can create and pass federal laws. Congress is divided into two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is commonly referred to as the “upper house” and consists of 100 members (called senators), two from each of the 50 states. The House of Representatives (often shortened to “the House”) has 435 voting members, known as representatives. The size of a state’s population determines how many representatives that state gets. All members of Congress are elected by the citizens of the state they represent. Congress has many powers, such as to introduce new taxes, to admit new states to the United States, and to declare war. Most of Congress’s work is creating and passing federal laws. Because all US federal laws are created by it, Congress plays a huge role in Americans’ lives, even if most Americans don’t pay close attention to Congress’s daily activities.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pre-Congress
  noun
• Congressional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• congresses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of congress

First recorded in 1350–1400 for earlier sense “body of attendants, following”; Middle English, from Latin congressus “assembly, intercourse, meeting,” equivalent to congred(ī) “to approach, meet” ( con- “with, together” + -gredī, combining form of gradī “to step”) + -tus suffix of verbal action; see con-; cf. grade

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Explanation

A congress is a formal meeting where people come together to discuss issues or questions. It often refers to the legislative branch of a nation's government, such as the US Congress, but it can also refer to any important meeting or official organization. While the word congress inevitably brings to mind the governing Congress with a capital C, there are many different kinds of congresses. The potato farming community, for example, convened the first World Potato Congress in 1993, and the United States Bowling Congress formed in 1995 when the men's and women's bowling organizations joined forces. Congress comes from the Latin congressus, which fittingly means both "friendly meeting" and "hostile encounter."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

congress Congress congresses

It will all be subject to approval by the 77th Fifa congress in March 2027.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

At a February congress meeting outlining the military’s new five-year objectives, Kim vowed to create new AI-enabled unmanned attack systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

He faces mounting challenges at home: a sputtering economy, a sweeping purge of the military’s top ranks, and a leadership reshuffle expected at next year’s party congress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

A petition signed by two thousand people sent last month to Palau's congress sought assurances from Washington that the population would be safe should war reach their shores.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Following the conference, a national John Reed Club congress was called.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

"There is that promise of a better tomorrow," said Tinubu, wearing flowing robes printed with his red, white, blue and green All Progressives Congress party logo.

From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026

Wilson’s own law lectures, however, emphasized that the Constitution limits Congress with “enumerated powers”—unlike the states’ governments, which were “vested with every power necessary for” a legislature to possibly wield.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Gluesenkamp Perez, 38, who ran an auto shop with her husband before being elected to Congress, frames her mission as one built around the practical needs of her district.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Social Security benefits may be cut by 26% in 2032 unless Congress acts to shore up the system, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

The Quaker petitioners were now asking the Congress to break that compact and thereby violate the understanding on which the states of the Deep South had entered the union.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

In Pennsylvania, the young man was mentored by another future Founder, John Dickinson, who would go on to serve in both Continental congresses and in the Constitutional Convention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Then came Resolution 68, passed on 4 May last year at a meeting of the politburo, the highest decision-making body between party congresses.

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026

The Vazquezes introduced the “on-1” step and innovated a flashier, dramatic style of salsa in L.A. that brought crowds to competitions and congresses through the 2000s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2025

He said it had been one of the most productive congresses in U.S. history because Democrats and Republicans were forced to work together.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

The congresses authorized me to go ahead and form a new military organization, separate from the ANC.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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