congress

American  

[kong-gris, kuhn-gres, kuhng-] / ˈkɒŋ grɪs, kənˈgrɛs, kəŋ- /

noun

1. (initial capital letter)

   1. the national legislative body of the U.S., consisting of the Senate, or upper house, and the House of Representatives, or lower house, as a continuous institution.

   2. this body as it exists for a period of two years during which it has the same membership.

      the Ninety-Seventh Congress.

   3. a session of this body.

      to speak in Congress.

2. the national legislative body of a nation, especially of a republic.

3. a formal meeting or assembly of representatives for the discussion, arrangement, or promotion of some matter of common interest.

   Synonyms:

   convention, council, conference

4. the act of coming together; an encounter; meeting.

5. an association, especially one composed of representatives of various organizations.

6. familiar relations; dealings intercourse.

7. sexual intercourse; coitus.

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verb (used without object)

1. to assemble together; meet in congress.

Congress ¹ British  

/ ˈkɒŋɡrɛs /

noun

1. the bicameral federal legislature of the US, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate

2. this body during any two-year term

3. Also called: Congress Party.  Official name: Indian National Congress.  (in India) a major political party, which controlled the Union government from 1947 to 1977

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congress ² British  

/ ˈkɒŋɡrɛs /

noun

1. a meeting or conference, esp of representatives of a number of sovereign states

2. a national legislative assembly

3. a society or association

4. sexual intercourse

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Congress Cultural  

1. The legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Popularly elected, senators and representatives are responsible for advocating the interests of the constituents they represent. Numerous congressional committees are organized to study issues of public policy, recommend action, and, ultimately, pass laws. Congress plays an important role in the system of checks and balances; in fact, the two-house (bicameral) organization of Congress acts as an internal check, for each house must separately vote to pass a bill for it to become a law. In addition to lawmaking, Congress has a variety of functions, including appropriation of funds for executive and judicial activities; instituting taxes and regulating commerce; declaring war and raising and supporting a military; setting up federal courts and conducting impeachment proceedings; and approving presidential appointments.

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Usage

What is Congress? Congress is the federal legislative body of the United States, which is responsible for passing federal, or nationwide, laws.In the United States, Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government. Only it can create and pass federal laws.Congress is divided into two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is commonly referred to as the “upper house” and consists of 100 members (called senators), two from each of the 50 states. The House of Representatives (often shortened to “the House”) has 435 voting members, known as representatives. The size of a state’s population determines how many representatives that state gets. All members of Congress are elected by the citizens of the state they represent.Congress has many powers, such as to introduce new taxes, to admit new states to the United States, and to declare war. Most of Congress’s work is creating and passing federal laws.Because all US federal laws are created by it, Congress plays a huge role in Americans’ lives, even if most Americans don’t pay close attention to Congress’s daily activities.

Other Word Forms

• Congressional adjective
• pre-Congress noun

Etymology

Origin of congress

First recorded in 1350–1400 for earlier sense “body of attendants, following”; Middle English, from Latin congressus “assembly, intercourse, meeting,” equivalent to congred(ī) “to approach, meet” ( con- “with, together” + -gredī, combining form of gradī “to step”) + -tus suffix of verbal action; con-; grade

Example Sentences

Maduro was at his side the rest of the way: serving in congress, then as foreign minister and vice president before Chávez, stricken with cancer, anointed him successor in 2013.

From The Wall Street Journal

And he said that "new modernisation and production plans" would be unveiled at his ruling Korean Workers Party's first congress in half a decade, expected in early 2026.

From Barron's

The leadership decisions must be finalised at the party congress which runs from January 19-25, when the central committee and powerful politburo will be officially announced.

From Barron's

His ruling Korean Workers Party is expected hold its first congress in half a decade in early 2026, where policymakers will hash out economic plans for the next five years.

From Barron's

Meanwhile England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland's joint bid to host the 2035 Women's World Cup stands unopposed and is expected to be ratified by a vote in a Fifa congress in 2026.

From BBC