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
of, relating to, or noting such a central government.
federal offices.
(initial capital letter)
of or relating to the Federalists or to the Federalist party.
supporting the principles of the Federalist party.
(in the Civil War) pertaining to or supporting the Union government.
relating to or adhering to the support of the Constitution.
(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.
of or relating to a compact or a league, especially a league between nations or states.
an advocate of federation or federalism.
(initial capital letter)
a Federalist.
an adherent of the Union government during the Civil War; Unionist.
a soldier in the Federal army.
of or relating to a form of government or a country in which power is divided between one central and several regional governments
of or relating to a treaty between provinces, states, etc, that establishes a political unit in which power is so divided
of or relating to the central government of a federation
of or relating to any union or association of parties or groups that retain some autonomy
(of a university) comprised of relatively independent colleges
First recorded in 16205–30; earlier foederal, from Latin foeder- (stem of foedus ) “formal agreement, treaty, league” + -al 1
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
WASHINGTON—The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as the director of national intelligence on Tuesday, placing the federal prosecutor to lead an agency that underwent rounds of staff cuts in recent weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The former securities regulator and federal prosecutor succeeds Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month, and inherits an 18-agency intelligence community shaken by leadership turnover and staff cuts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Others who are not eligible for federal benefits come to the market seeking additional resources.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
“An early Roth conversion strategy could be a compelling way to move assets into tax-free growth while incurring little or no federal income tax.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The total debt inherited from the states and the federal government in 1790 was $77.1 million.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
"What you worry about is the repeated shocks are building a muscle memory of what it means to raise prices, and that's the exact thing the Federal Reserve is tasked to avert," she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Still, many on Capitol Hill saw him as a less contentious choice than Pulte, who also heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration released a preliminary directive ordering inspections on more than 450 US 737 MAX jets over potential faulty installation of passenger seats.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Those inflation concerns dovetail with another factor that Lee thinks has rattled the market in recent sessions: the possibility that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates on Wednesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Part of my job involved poring over scripts for our clients’ TV and radio ads, making sure they didn't violate Federal Communications Commission standards.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
