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
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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
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.
See Examples For:
His decision, which blocks the Texas attorney general from enforcing the law, noted that the prohibition was “an unconstitutional restriction on speech.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The group's lawyers had written to the attorney general and home affairs ministry, stating that they had pleaded guilty to immigration-related offences and had paid fines imposed by the courts, the news site reported.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
They include Blanche, whom Epshteyn boosted to replace Bondi as attorney general.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Arizona’s attorney general filed a 20-count criminal complaint against the same company.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Bill Baxley, Alabama’s attorney general, reopened the case, and Chambliss’s own niece is testifying against him. He’s the first of the bombers to come to trial.”
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
“According to reports, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Todd Blanche have both entered into ‘primary’ residence mortgages for multiple homes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Meanwhile, California Attorney General Rob Bonta - who represented one of the leading states in the Meta lawsuit - said he was "looking to ensure" TikTok adopted similar measures to Meta.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The clearest example: In July, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Kalshi, calling prediction markets “gambling platforms, plain and simple” and seeking penalties that could reach $36 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
However, during a press conference Tuesday afternoon, California Attorney General Rob Bonta declined to confirm whether Zuckerberg would be called to the stand.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Attorney General Robert Kennedy had given Southern theater owners an ultimatum: desegregate voluntarily—now—or the federal government would do it for them.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
