attorney general

noun

plural

attorneys general, attorney generals 

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.

Attorney General

¹

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

attorney general

²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of attorney general¹

First recorded in 1575–85

Example Sentences

The workaround, which involves the attorney general giving new titles to interim picks, has faced challenges across the country, including in Los Angeles, Nevada, New Jersey and New York.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The attorney general’s office didn’t immediately respond to calls seeking comment.

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When that 120-day window closed on 21 May, the attorney general's authority to appoint an interim replacement expired as well, Judge Currie wrote.

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Without competitive pressure, landlords have no incentive to decrease prices or offer discounts common in rental markets, like a free month or waived fees, the attorney general said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Further complicating matters: The attorney general has testified before the Supreme Court that she was closely overseeing Gen. Tomer-Yerushalmi’s probe.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal