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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

attorney general

American  

noun

• attorneys general,
  plural
• attorney generals
  plural

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.

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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

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• attorney generals
  plural
• attorneys general
  plural

Etymology

Origin of attorney general

First recorded in 1575–85

Compare meaning

How does attorney-general compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• solicitor general vs. attorney general

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

attorney general Attorney General

The office of the state attorney general is responsible for defending death penalty convictions on appeal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

He reiterated that stance just a decade ago during his confirmation hearing for attorney general, though he also expressed concerns about the unjust application of the punishment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

At the time, Keep Florida Clean was chaired by James Uthmeier, then DeSantis’ chief of staff and now Florida’s attorney general.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

The California attorney general canceled a meeting with Ellison to discuss a potential settlement this past week after The Wall Street Journal reported plans for the meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

They were addressed to government officials: the attorney general and the secretary of labor of the United States; a Supreme Court justice; and two of the nation’s leading financiers.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Jourdane went on to work in the California Office of the Attorney General, as a Superior Court judge in Monterey County and in the California Court of Appeal’s Fourth District, his family said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

It also criticized the office of then-Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody for failing to exercise sufficient oversight of the settlement.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

“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

It was this nativist philosophy, bolstered by his fear and distrust of foreigners, that prompted Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer to pursue policies that brought the Red Scare in America to a head in 1919.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler