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• attorney general
  attorney general

  noun

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

  noun

  (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

attorney general

American  

noun

• attorneys general,
  plural
• attorney generals
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• attorney generals
  plural
• attorneys general
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of attorney general

First recorded in 1575–85

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Compare meaning

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

• solicitor general vs. attorney general

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

attorney general Attorney General

Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek, who is also the attorney general, told journalists he had requested the lifting of the immunity enjoyed by Swieczkowski and his deputy Bartlomiej Sochanski.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Lawyers for the two men argue that her comments showed the attorney general had already reached an opinion about the case.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The state's attorney general found the policeman was justified in using force, and the officer's lawyer argued in a statement to the BBC that the driver was attempting to kill law enforcement.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

But Harris’ victory in the 2016 Senate race created a vacancy for state attorney general.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

Eliot Spitzer, attorney general of New York, was holding a power breakfast back near the polished granite counter.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

She appointed a special prosecutor, New York's Attorney General Letitia James, earlier this month to oversee a reopened investigation into whether criminal charges are warranted.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Tensions then flared after Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward filed a brief saying nothing had changed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

Attorney General Todd Blanche dropped by “Jesse Watters Primetime” on his first day on the job, almost certainly expecting a friendly interview.

From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez hailed the ruling as a "historic" win.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

By the time Attorney General MacVeagh walked over to the Elberon Hotel and made the official statement to the press, bells were already tolling in city halls, courthouses, churches, and firehouses.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

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