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  congress
• Congress
  Congress

  noun

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

congress

American  

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

noun

• congresses
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• pre-Congress
  noun
• Congressional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• congresses
  plural

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; see con-; cf. grade

Explanation

A congress is a formal meeting where people come together to discuss issues or questions. It often refers to the legislative branch of a nation's government, such as the US Congress, but it can also refer to any important meeting or official organization. While the word congress inevitably brings to mind the governing Congress with a capital C, there are many different kinds of congresses. The potato farming community, for example, convened the first World Potato Congress in 1993, and the United States Bowling Congress formed in 1995 when the men's and women's bowling organizations joined forces. Congress comes from the Latin congressus, which fittingly means both "friendly meeting" and "hostile encounter."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

congress Congress congresses

He faces mounting challenges at home: a sputtering economy, a sweeping purge of the military’s top ranks, and a leadership reshuffle expected at next year’s party congress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

He also became known for a love of luxury labels, particularly French brand Hermes -- earning him the nickname "Belt Xu" after being spotted wearing a Hermes belt to the national political congress.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Given that Larson is in his 28th year as a member of congress, it sounds reasonable to suggest that it’s his time to go.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Castillo was arrested in December 2022 on charges of rebellion, after he attempted to dismiss Peruvian congress members and install an emergency government.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

As the congress drew to a close, I attended a caucus to plan the future of the clubs.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

The findings were presented in a Hot Line session at ESC Congress 2026 and published at the same time in The New England Journal of Medicine.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

Benefits will be cut by 26% starting in 2032, according to the Congressional Budget Office, which is a nonpartisan federal agency that provides Congress with independent analysis of budgetary and economic issues.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

Plus: Tech giants facing questions over secret AI data-center deals and Congress wants to bring federal agencies to heel over energy projects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Democratic Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin is facing off against Republican nonprofit leader Samuel Gallucci in the race for retiring Rep. Julia Brownley’s Ventura County seat in Congress.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Shirley Chisholm became the first Negro woman elected to Congress.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Over the past quarter-century, under presidents and congresses of both parties, growth has slowed, and its fruits have been shared less widely.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Then came Resolution 68, passed on 4 May last year at a meeting of the politburo, the highest decision-making body between party congresses.

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026

The Vazquezes introduced the “on-1” step and innovated a flashier, dramatic style of salsa in L.A. that brought crowds to competitions and congresses through the 2000s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2025

It spans congresses and authors of both parties.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2023

After the Boston Tea Party, in 1773, when the anger of the American colonists against their British rulers began to spill over, dozens of committees and congresses of angry colonists sprang up around New England.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell