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• federal
  federal

  adjective

  pertaining to or of the nature of a union of states under a central government distinct from the individual governments of the separate states, as in
• Federal
  Federal

federal

American  

[fed-er-uhl] / ˈfɛd ər əl /

adjective

1. 

   pertaining to or of the nature of a union of states under a central government distinct from the individual governments of the separate states, as in

2. of, relating to, or noting such a central government.

   federal offices.

3. (initial capital letter)

   1. of or relating to the Federalists or to the Federalist party.

   2. supporting the principles of the Federalist party.

   3. (in the Civil War) pertaining to or supporting the Union government.

   4. relating to or adhering to the support of the Constitution.

4. (initial capital letter) pertaining to or designating the styles of the decorative arts and architecture current in the U.S. from about 1780 to about 1830.

5. of or relating to a compact or a league, especially a league between nations or states.

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noun

1. an advocate of federation or federalism.

2. (initial capital letter)

   1. a Federalist.

   2. an adherent of the Union government during the Civil War; Unionist.

   3. a soldier in the Federal army.

Federal ¹ British  

/ ˈfɛdərəl /

adjective

1. 1. of or relating to the Federalist party or Federalism

   2. characteristic of or supporting the Union government during the American Civil War

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noun

1. 1. a supporter of the Union government during the American Civil War

   2. a Federalist

federal ² British  

/ ˈfɛdərəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a form of government or a country in which power is divided between one central and several regional governments

2. of or relating to a treaty between provinces, states, etc, that establishes a political unit in which power is so divided

3. of or relating to the central government of a federation

4. of or relating to any union or association of parties or groups that retain some autonomy

5. (of a university) comprised of relatively independent colleges

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noun

1. a supporter of federal union or federation

Other Word Forms

• federalness
  noun
• nonfederal
  adjective
• quasi-federal
  adjective
• federally
  adverb
• quasi-federally
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of federal

First recorded in 16205–30; earlier foederal, from Latin foeder- (stem of foedus ) “formal agreement, treaty, league” + -al ¹

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Explanation

Federal refers to the national government. The voting age is determined by the federal government while the driving age is decided on a state by state basis. Before the Constitution was ratified, the United States was a loose confederation of states, with no real federal government. The Constitution created a stronger federal government but to this day, there is a conflict between those who want power to go to the states and those who support federal control. States don't seem to mind federal subsidies though.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

federal Federal

Both were among the 28 people charged with federal election-related crimes Monday, including fraudulent voter registration and making false statements in a naturalization application.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

As early voters headed to polls, a federal prosecutor in Texas, Aaron Reitz, issued a warning.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

The new allegation came in a filing where federal prosecutors argued that Abdulrahman Alfozan, the 35-year-old accused of bugging a restricted OpenAI conference room, should be kept in custody because he is a flight risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

However, because Johnson is incarcerated, the VA only pays his disability compensation at a 10 percent rate under a federal law governing benefits for incarcerated veterans.

From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026

“The management of this town has been turned over to the federal government.”

From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

Comedy Central is a cable network not subject to Federal Communications Commission authority, unlike Stewart’s late-night cohort Jimmy Kimmel, who appears on ABC.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

The bond market aggressively priced in up to 100 basis points of interest-rate cuts, only for the Federal Reserve to raise rates and the economy to continue growing.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

DHS issued the order under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018, following a review of a recommendation and supporting evidence from the Federal Acquisition Security Council.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Federal agents reportedly seized her phone, computers, notebooks and passport in the raid a week ago.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

In 1942, in the middle of World War II, some strange letters came to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

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