attorney general
noun
the chief law officer of a country or state and head of its legal department. att. gen.
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Attorney General
Attorney Generalnoun(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
Americannoun
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attorneys general,
plural
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attorney generals
plural
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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.
Attorney General
1
British
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
attorney general
2
British
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of attorney general
First recorded in 1575–85
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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.
See Examples For:
“Parents are children’s natural providers and protectors,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The statement from the U.A.E.’s attorney general, Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, signaled that the co-pilot likely didn’t need to smuggle a weapon on board Wednesday’s Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Over the course of the three gubernatorial races, three attorney general races, and the single state Supreme Court election Abbott has run in, he’s never won by less than 11 points.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
The former state attorney general was also arrested in 2022.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Among them was Sargent Prentiss Freeling, a former Oklahoma attorney general and a staunch advocate of states’ rights.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
“This settlement is not a vote of support for this merger. It is not a blessing of the broader merger,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said when he announced the settlement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Mariaca was appointed Attorney General by Congress in October 2024.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Attorney General Sam Mayanja said the Tooro kingdom was cleared to go ahead with the coronation, as there had not been a formal complaint against him.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
So he may be qualified to weigh in on the Senate race between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and former state Rep. James Talarico.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
"My office is having some difficulty locating Hector Ze- roni's records," the Attorney General said.
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
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.
