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• federal
  federal

  adjective

  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
• Federal
  Federal

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

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

Explanation

Federal refers to the national government. The voting age is determined by the federal government while the driving age is decided on a state by state basis. Before the Constitution was ratified, the United States was a loose confederation of states, with no real federal government. The Constitution created a stronger federal government but to this day, there is a conflict between those who want power to go to the states and those who support federal control. States don't seem to mind federal subsidies though.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

federal Federal

These jobs figures followed a federal debt frenzy in July, when the federal deficit nearly quadrupled from the previous month, to $432 billion.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026

In a footnote, the CDC said it won’t include those “measles associated” deaths pending further investigation by federal health authorities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

North Carolina officials said Friday's mailings would proceed normally and that the state has no plans to use the federal portal at the center of the dispute.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

The local suppression of abolitionist mail persisted throughout the antebellum era during the administrations of Jackson’s eight successors, none of whom enforced the federal statute prohibiting detention of the mail.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

The major business of the evening, in all likelihood, was an agreement to recalculate Virginia's debt and corresponding share of the enlarged federal debt.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Federal Reserve had unrealized losses on its bond holdings of around $850 billion, which will also have risen.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026

Waller’s remarks came a day after Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams indicated that data so far doesn’t warrant an increase in borrowing costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

The stronger jobs figures are likely to add to growing expectations that the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates later this month.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Federal prosecutors in Minnesota had been preparing to charge Castro with deprivation of rights under color of law for the shooting of Sosa-Celis, according to several people familiar with the case.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

The Federal Emergency Management Agency had been its own freestanding agency for decades, but after 9/11 had been folded into the Department of Homeland Security.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

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