legislation

American  

[lej-is-ley-shuhn] / ˌlɛdʒ ɪsˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

• legislations
  plural

1. the act of making or enacting laws.

2. a law or a body of laws enacted.

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legislation British  

/ ˌlɛdʒɪsˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of making laws; enactment

2. the laws so made

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sublegislation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• legislations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of legislation

1645–55; < Late Latin lēgislātiōn- (stem of lēgislātiō ), equivalent to Latin phrase lēgis lātiō the bringing (i.e., proposing) of a law, equivalent to lēgis (genitive of lēx law) + lātiō a bringing; see relation

Explanation

Legislation is the act or process of making or enacting laws. Some people think there should be more legislation in the area of education and some people think there should be less — governments debate the matter periodically. The noun legislation refers to the actual law enacted by a legislative body at the national, state, or local level. There has been some very odd legislation over the years. In one state it was illegal to kiss on a train; in another, it was illegal to take a bath on Sunday. The sweeping legislation made radical changes to tax law, health care, and immigration law.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

legislation legislations

Lawmakers in other states, including New York and California, are considering similar legislation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Cabaldon cited The Times story when he introduced the legislation, noting that at least three people contacted by the air district said they had not submitted the public comments attached to their names.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

In a 2016 appearance on “CNN Money,” Parton commented on North Carolina’s now-infamous “Bathroom Bill,” one of the first major pieces of anti-trans legislation to become discourse in the hyper-digital era.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

However, she said rather than resign they were "very committed to fulfilling our responsibilities under the legislation, to completing our terms of office and to addressing and fixing the problems that have been identified".

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

One was that it was too late to introduce legislation for the 2008 session.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Ms Khalaf said the sentence handed to Tiba's father was "unfair", and that she saw such cases as evidence of "provisions and legislations that violate women's rights".

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2023

“I made up my mind because I must not interfere with parliamentary discussion of key legislations because of my problems,” Terada said.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 20, 2022

Kishida returned to Tokyo on Saturday after a nine-day trip and apparently faced pressure from his governing party executives to make a quick decision on Terada before discussions on key legislations resume Monday.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2022

I think it discredits those who pass these legislations, those who adopt them and those who implement them more than anything else.

From US News ● Dec. 21, 2015

This utility is the principle of all human virtues, and the foundation of all legislations.

From Diderot and the Encyclopædists Volume II. by John Morley

Related Words

• act
• bill
• charter
• constitution
• measure
• regulation
• ruling
• statute