attorney general
Americannoun
plural
attorneys general, attorney generals-
the chief law officer of a country or state and head of its legal department. att. gen.
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Attorney General, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice: a member of the president's cabinet. Atty. Gen.
noun
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(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
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(in the US) the chief law officer and legal adviser to the Administration: head of the Department of Justice and member of the cabinet
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(in Australia and New Zealand) the chief government law officer: a member of Parliament and usually a cabinet minister
noun
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a country's chief law officer and senior legal adviser to its government
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(in the US) the chief law officer and legal adviser of a state government
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(in some states of the US) a public prosecutor
Etymology
Origin of attorney general
First recorded in 1575–85
Compare meaning
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Regulators, led by then–New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer, instituted sweeping laws to mitigate conflicts of interest and create walls between bankers and analysts.
From Barron's
"Today's sentence underscores the consequences of conspiring with a regime that relies on violence and intimidation to survive," John Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement.
From Barron's
“I would just give a pro tip to the attorney general,” he said.
From Salon
More than 2,000 similar cases have also been filed in federal court by individuals, school districts and attorneys general.
It is the first such case to go to trial as thousands of other similar lawsuits, brought by individuals, school districts and state attorneys general, wait in the wings.
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.
