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  • attorney general
    attorney general
    noun
    the chief law officer of a country or state and head of its legal department. att. gen.
  • Attorney General
    Attorney General
    noun
    (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
Synonyms

attorney general

American  

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 British  

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

attorney general 2 British  

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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