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• Congress
  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. 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 ² 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 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

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

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

Castillo was arrested in December 2022 on charges of rebellion, after he attempted to dismiss Peruvian congress members and install an emergency government.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

So Uefa, which has 55 nations, can trigger the extraordinary congress whenever it wishes.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Devoted to the first national congress of the Chinese Communist Party, inside the museum’s quiet, low-lying stone building all is frugality and concern for the plight of the downtrodden.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Besides the city's highbrow cultural offerings, its status as a centre of congress and diplomacy also helps attract a wealthy and worldly clientele.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

The decisions of the assembly were enacted by an executive body called the Boule, or council of five hundred, which contained the closest thing ancient Athens had to members of congress.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

But for years Congress has debated whether and how to require platforms to verify user ages.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Teirab, a former Marine and a Harvard Law graduate who’d run unsuccessfully for Congress as a Republican, responded with a blunt reality check.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Last summer, Representative Sara Jacobs would run up to her office to give herself injections of hormones before rushing back to Congress for a session with her fellow lawmakers.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

“The immigration laws enacted by Congress impose consequences when someone who has accrued unlawful presence, leaves the country and later seeks admission, including when that departure occurs under advance parole,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The issue concerned a minor matter of etiquette: How should the president be addressed by members of Congress?

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

Over the past quarter-century, under presidents and congresses of both parties, growth has slowed, and its fruits have been shared less widely.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 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

Such congresses meet at the Palace of Versailles.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 29, 2023

The ANC joined with the other congresses and SACTU, the South African Congress of Trade Unions, to call a three-day strike during the elections in April.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela