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• senate
  senate

  noun

  an assembly or council of citizens having the highest deliberative functions in a government, especially a legislative assembly of a state or nation.
• Senate
  Senate

  noun

  the upper chamber of the legislatures of the US, Canada, Australia, and many other countries

senate

American  

[sen-it] / ˈsɛn ɪt /

noun

• senates
  plural

1. an assembly or council of citizens having the highest deliberative functions in a government, especially a legislative assembly of a state or nation.

2. (initial capital letter) the upper house of the legislature of certain countries, as the United States, France, Italy, Canada, Ireland, Republic of South Africa, Australia, and some Latin American countries.

3. the room or building in which such a group meets.

4. Roman History. the supreme council of state, the membership and functions of which varied at different periods.

5. a governing, advisory, or disciplinary body, as in certain universities.

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Senate ¹ British  

/ ˈsɛnɪt /

noun

1. the upper chamber of the legislatures of the US, Canada, Australia, and many other countries

2. the legislative council of ancient Rome. Originally the council of the kings, the Senate became the highest legislative, judicial, and religious authority in republican Rome

3. the ruling body of certain free cities in medieval and modern Europe

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senate ² British  

/ ˈsɛnɪt /

noun

1. any legislative or governing body considered to resemble a Senate

2. the main governing body at some colleges and universities

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• senates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of senate

1175–1225; Middle English senat < Latin senātus council of elders, equivalent to sen ( ex ) old + -ātus -ate ³

Explanation

When a government is split into two houses, or assemblies, one of them — the "upper house" — is called a senate. The main job of most senates is to take a second look at legislation after it's been passed by the lower house. The idea of a senate as a legislative assembly goes back to the founding of Rome, around 750 B.C.E., with the word taken from the Latin senatus, meaning "highest council." That word, then, is thought to come from senex, meaning "old man," in this case probably meant as a form of respect for wisdom. The word later grew to include national government, and the United States took the word in 1775 to refer to the upper level of the legislature. Today, you can get elected to a senate even if you're not an old man.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

senate Senate senates

The senate plans to send its recommendation to regents by June.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The elections were the first to be held under Kazakhstan's new constitution, which abolished the senate in favour of a new unicameral legislature and reset term limits that would have otherwise been imposed on Tokayev.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

“I said as a senate candidate that I’d be focused on the down ballot and my plan to do that hasn’t changed.”

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

The bill now heads to the senate, where it is also expected to secure approval, before being enacted by the president.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

Mrs. Apple struck a pose in the manner of a Roman consul about to address the senate....

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

The US Senate approved a landmark federal framework for college sports Monday, voting 72-22 to bring order to a multibillion-dollar industry whose biggest events can draw television audiences comparable to major professional championships.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Tether was still a common thread in many of the wallets most recently sanctioned by the U.S., according to Senate investigators.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

However, in vetoing the bills, Newsom told the Senate in a letter that they would “codify portions of existing, unrelated regulations that are unnecessary at this time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

So he may be qualified to weigh in on the Senate race between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and former state Rep. James Talarico.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Senate that he saw no more than $100 billion in losses in the subprime mortgage market, FrontPoint did something unusual: It hosted its own conference call.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Since news of the deal broke, he said he has met with the system chancellors, provosts, program directors and faculty senates about the acquisition.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 31, 2023

State senates range in size from twenty members in Alaska to sixty-seven members in Minnesota.

From Textbooks ● Jul. 28, 2021

The Missouri and North Carolina senates currently are the only chambers offering just audio, which can make it difficult for listeners to recognize the speakers.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2021

The animosity has spread to the 50 statehouses and the 7,382 people who serve in the houses and senates there.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2012

We are but a people of yesterday, and yet we have filled every place belonging to you—cities, islands, castles, towns, assemblies, your very camps, your tribes, companies, palaces, senates, forum. 

From The Religious Life of London by J. Ewing (James Ewing) Ritchie

Related Words

• body
• chamber
• house
• parliament