federal

American  

[fed-er-uhl] / ˈfɛd ər əl /

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of a union of states under a central government distinct from the individual governments of the separate states, as in

2. of, relating to, or noting such a central government.

   federal offices.

3. (initial capital letter)

   1. of or relating to the Federalists or to the Federalist party.

   2. supporting the principles of the Federalist party.

   3. (in the Civil War) pertaining to or supporting the Union government.

   4. relating to or adhering to the support of the Constitution.

4. (initial capital letter) pertaining to or designating the styles of the decorative arts and architecture current in the U.S. from about 1780 to about 1830.

5. of or relating to a compact or a league, especially a league between nations or states.

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noun

1. an advocate of federation or federalism.

2. (initial capital letter)

   1. a Federalist.

   2. an adherent of the Union government during the Civil War; Unionist.

   3. a soldier in the Federal army.

Federal ¹ British  

/ ˈfɛdərəl /

adjective

1. 1. of or relating to the Federalist party or Federalism

   2. characteristic of or supporting the Union government during the American Civil War

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noun

1. 1. a supporter of the Union government during the American Civil War

   2. a Federalist

federal ² British  

/ ˈfɛdərəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a form of government or a country in which power is divided between one central and several regional governments

2. of or relating to a treaty between provinces, states, etc, that establishes a political unit in which power is so divided

3. of or relating to the central government of a federation

4. of or relating to any union or association of parties or groups that retain some autonomy

5. (of a university) comprised of relatively independent colleges

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noun

1. a supporter of federal union or federation

Other Word Forms

• federally adverb
• federalness noun
• nonfederal adjective
• quasi-federal adjective
• quasi-federally adverb

Etymology

Origin of federal

First recorded in 16205–30; earlier foederal, from Latin foeder- (stem of foedus ) “formal agreement, treaty, league” + -al ¹

Example Sentences

If you and your husband give $76,000 to your daughter and your son-in-law —both of you giving $19,000 to each separately — you are exactly within the federal annual gift-tax exemption.

From MarketWatch

To accommodate more volume, Hanwha is in active discussions with multiple federal, state and local officials about opportunities to expand capacity and property for storage around the Philadelphia region.

From The Wall Street Journal

Supporters say it could raise $100 billion over five years, to be spent mostly on public education, food assistance and California’s medicaid program, which face severe cutbacks thanks to federal budget-cutting.

From Los Angeles Times

The legal tussle is working its way through federal court.

From Los Angeles Times

A Times analysis also found nearly a third of all cases involving an alleged assault against a federal officer in Los Angeles last year ended with prosecutors dropping charges or losing at trial.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• civil
• communal
• domestic
• ethnic
• governmental
• internal
• interstate
• nationwide
• public
• social