the chief law officer of a country or state and head of its legal department. att. gen.
Attorney General, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice: a member of the president's cabinet. Atty. Gen.
(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
(in the US) the chief law officer and legal adviser to the Administration: head of the Department of Justice and member of the cabinet
(in Australia and New Zealand) the chief government law officer: a member of Parliament and usually a cabinet minister
a country's chief law officer and senior legal adviser to its government
(in the US) the chief law officer and legal adviser of a state government
(in some states of the US) a public prosecutor
First recorded in 1575–85
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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 part of the probe, the state attorney general issued a civil investigative demand to CVS Health with a July 28 deadline.
From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026
Richard Hermer KC is attorney general - the chief legal adviser to the government - and attends cabinet.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
In 2023, Guerrero escaped from the prison, according to Venezuela’s attorney general.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
Dahlia also speaks with Andrew Weissmann, law professor at New York University and a veteran federal prosecutor, about President Trump’s latest nomination for attorney general and the state of the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
Name the attorney general of the United States.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
