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
How does attorney-general compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The attorney general is to review the youth rehabilitation order sentences given by the judge, who had said last week he wanted to avoid "criminalising" the "very young" boys.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
What is also notable is that it is signed by Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general.
From Slate • May 26, 2026
The state’s attorney general, Keith Ellison, also believes the state was within their rights to ban prediction markets, saying he was very concerned about their impact on Minnesotans.
From Salon • May 24, 2026
The progressive challenger is Marissa Roy, a deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice.
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026
Oklahoma’s attorney general said, “Too much credit cannot be given these gentlemen.”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
