mandamus
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mandamus
From the Latin word mandāmus we command
Explanation
A mandamus is an order passed down from a court requiring that an official perform some particular function as an absolute duty. If a public official tries to do his job in whatever way he sees fit, a court might issue a mandamus, telling him, "This is your duty — do it. Or else." Say you're a dogcatcher and you've been looking the other way while Tootles runs free, digging up flower beds. A court might issue a writ of mandamus ordering you to put Tootles in the pound. It's no longer up to you — it's time to bring Tootles in.
Vocabulary lists containing mandamus
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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United States v. Nixon (1974)
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This Week In Words: July 25–31, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
This only arose because the government filed a petition for a writ of mandamus asking a higher court to block this discovery.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2025
Lynch also asked Judge Jackson to decide by next Tuesday so the department could request a writ of mandamus from the U.S.
From Salon ● May 12, 2023
Justin Jones and Justin Pearson file for a writ of mandamus, Federal District Court, in Nashville, against the Tennessee Assembly.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
They were seeking what’s known as mandamus, which is a request to the court to order a government official to take an action.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 1, 2023
The court decided that the case required a mandamus before the Registrar.
From The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV by Harper, Ida Husted
You realise, I hope, that there are here no judges, juries, nor lawyers, no mandamuses and no appeals.
From Revenge! by Barr, Robert
It might rain mandamuses and warrants, they had no power to trouble me.
From Paul Gosslett's Confessions in Love, Law, and The Civil Service by Lever, Charles James
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.
