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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

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Etymology

Origin of federal

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

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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

Beforehand, more than a dozen of their loved ones milled around the federal courthouse in downtown L.A., antsy and clearly worried.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

In every case, the federal prosecutor said the government was not seeking detention.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

As early voters headed to polls, a federal prosecutor in Texas, Aaron Reitz, issued a warning.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

The new allegation came in a filing where federal prosecutors argued that Abdulrahman Alfozan, the 35-year-old accused of bugging a restricted OpenAI conference room, should be kept in custody because he is a flight risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

The law stated that a passport “shall not be issued to an applicant subject to a federal arrest warrant or subpoena for any matter involving a felony.”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Federal authorities accused her Monday of fraudulently registering to vote in July 2006 and then lying about it in her naturalization paperwork in March 2026.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Those concerns were further fueled by broader economic trends, including inflation rising faster than anticipated in September, which could lead the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates with more urgency.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

Any aggressive policy-driven positioning in the currency market is likely to be deferred until next week, when policy meetings for both the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan are scheduled, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Federal agents reportedly seized her phone, computers, notebooks and passport in the raid a week ago.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

“Our sources indicate that President Gray and his cabinet believe this to be the work of the Federal Coalition.”

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

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