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attorney general
attorney generalnounthe 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
plural
attorneys general, attorney generals-
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.
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
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
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.
Attorney general Brian L. Schwalb on Monday announced the agreement that returns $200,000 to fans and pay $425,000 to the district to resolve allegations related to the deposits.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 10, 2023
“Why? Because there’s been no money and no activity surrounding the race. Attorney general races are generally unusual outcomes,” he said, noting that voters give down-ballot races less interest.
From Washington Times • Oct. 28, 2022
Attorney general also is a potential springboard for higher office.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2022
However, the University of Virginia wrote in an online message, "Attorney general opinions, though they do not have the force of law the way a court ruling does, nonetheless warrant careful consideration."
From Fox News • Feb. 1, 2022
He sought and obtained on the constitutionality question the separate written opinions of Jefferson, Hamilton, and Edmund Randolph,—they then being respectively Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, and Attorney general.
From The Writings of Abraham Lincoln — Volume 2: 1843-1858 by Lincoln, Abraham
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.