congressman

[kong-gris-muhn]

noun

plural

congressmen 

1. a member of a congress, especially of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressman

/ ˈkɒŋɡrɛsmən /

noun

1. (in the US) a male member of Congress, esp of the House of Representatives

Gender Note

Is congressman gender-neutral? See -man.

Word History and Origins

Origin of congressman¹

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80; congress + -man

Example Sentences

He had been part of the Republican establishment for decades before he became vice president, having served in politics since he took a one-year fellowship in Washington, D.C., for a Wisconsin GOP congressman in 1968.

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More controversially, he opposed the release of Nelson Mandela from jail and was one of only 21 congressmen to vote against the prohibition of armour-piercing "cop killer" bullets.

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Manzo, who also had served as a federal congressman representing Mexico’s ruling party, ran as an independent to win the Uruapan mayor’s race last year.

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“We are too fat a country to have 41 million on food stamps,” argued former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz.

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The congressman who represented the area, Clarence Miller, wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Melvin Laird asking if, out of compassion for the families of the village, those six might be permitted to come home.

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Related Words

• legislator