committee of the whole

American  

noun

1. the entire membership of a legislative body, sitting in a deliberative rather than a legislative capacity, for informal debate and preliminary consideration of matters awaiting legislative action.

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Etymology

Origin of committee of the whole

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

“Everybody has been meeting — you can say the committee of the whole — because everybody has had access to McCarthy. There’s no question,” he said.

From Washington Post • Apr. 22, 2023

The council’s committee of the whole will meet on Monday to take action on a proposed list of amendments.

From Washington Post • Jun. 5, 2022

So last week it called an extraordinary "committee of the whole" session to ask university presidents and student leaders why campuses are boiling over and what can be done about it.

From Time Magazine Archive

No record roll-calls, under the rules, are made in committee of the whole.

From Time Magazine Archive

The House went into committee of the whole to revise the language of the report.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis