(usually initial capital letter) the legislature of Great Britain, historically the assembly of the three estates, now composed of Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal, forming together the House of Lords, and representatives of the counties, cities, boroughs, and universities, forming the House of Commons.
(usually initial capital letter) the legislature of certain British colonies and possessions.
a legislative body in any of various other countries.
French History. any of several high courts of justice in France before 1789.
a meeting or assembly for conference on public or national affairs.
Cards. fan-tan.
an assembly of the representatives of a political nation or people, often the supreme legislative authority
any legislative or deliberative assembly, conference, etc
Also: parlement. (in France before the Revolution) any of several high courts of justice in which royal decrees were registered
the highest legislative authority in Britain, consisting of the House of Commons, which exercises effective power, the House of Lords, and the sovereign
a similar legislature in another country
the two chambers of a Parliament
the lower chamber of a Parliament
any of the assemblies of such a body created by a general election and royal summons and dissolved before the next election
The number of nations governed by parliaments has greatly increased in modern times.
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English: “discourse, consultation, Parliament,” from Anglo-Latin parliamentum, alteration of Medieval Latin parlāmentum, from Old French parlement “a speaking, conference” ( see parle, -ment); replacing Middle English parlement, from Old French
In some countries — Great Britain for example — the group of people who make the laws is called the parliament. It's the equivalent of Congress in the United States. The most common meaning of parliament refers to a country's legislative (law-making) body. England's parliament is very famous. The word comes in part from the French verb parler, which means to speak, which makes sense since this group of people assemble to talk about laws and issues. Another meaning of parliament is the card game known as fan tan or sevens, where you lead with your sevens in a certain sequence and win by using up all your cards.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As the ill-feeling grew, lawmakers in the Scottish parliament spoke out about the impact on businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Miles Briggs, one of the lawmakers in the parliament, expects nothing will change until the next council elections next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
"The most recent development that makes me somewhat optimistic is that Greece now has a new civil protection law," he said, referring to the Active Battle legislation approved by parliament this spring.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
No voting method can always ensure that local victories produce local seats, national seat totals accurately reflect overall vote shares, and the size of parliament remains fixed.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
The Reichstag, the German parliament, had passed a Peace Resolution, calling for “a peace of understanding and the permanent reconciliation of peoples without the forcible acquisition of territory.”
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
The European Parliament just switched its default search provider to a French service, called Qwant, to reduce reliance on American technology — but the search engine turns to Microsoft Bing for much of its results.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Assisted dying returns to Parliament as MP urges peers to 'finish the job'
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
It is the first time Burnham has set out his position on the issue since becoming prime minister, as MPs prepare to debate it again when Parliament returns in September.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
On July 20, thousands of protesters surged toward the Indian Parliament.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
He became our first great leader, and in 1971, under his extreme pressure, our Parliament gave him the title Life President.
From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
Lumsden, who is unable to sit in both parliaments due to a Holyrood ban on so-called dual mandates, is to resign from Holyrood just six weeks after winning re-election as a North East MSP.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Popes rarely address parliaments, trying to avoid overt political interventions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
The idea runs back at least to the influential 18th-century English jurist William Blackstone, who instructed that “Acts of parliament derogatory from the power of subsequent parliaments bind not.”
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
And yes, just days before those crucial elections to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments and to many English local authorities.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
The forums were parliaments of the people, not unlike the meetings of chiefs at the Great Place that I witnessed as a boy.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
