legislation
Americannoun
-
legislations
plural
-
the act of making or enacting laws.
-
a law or a body of laws enacted.
noun
-
the act or process of making laws; enactment
-
the laws so made
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of legislation
1645–55; < Late Latin lēgislātiōn- (stem of lēgislātiō ), equivalent to Latin phrase lēgis lātiō the bringing (i.e., proposing) of a law, equivalent to lēgis (genitive of lēx law) + lātiō a bringing; see relation
Explanation
Legislation is the act or process of making or enacting laws. Some people think there should be more legislation in the area of education and some people think there should be less — governments debate the matter periodically. The noun legislation refers to the actual law enacted by a legislative body at the national, state, or local level. There has been some very odd legislation over the years. In one state it was illegal to kiss on a train; in another, it was illegal to take a bath on Sunday. The sweeping legislation made radical changes to tax law, health care, and immigration law.
Vocabulary lists containing legislation
Election Lingo
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
13th Amendment (1865)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
19th Amendment (1920)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Those efforts will press ahead now that the Clarity Act has stalled, and together could achieve much of what the legislation sought to, analysts said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
In a 2025 review of the legislation, the state attorney general found this subsection likely unconstitutional.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The CCC report cannot block a new runway but it wants the government to pass legislation pushing responsibility for the long-term clean-up of aviation onto the industry.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Its sponsor, Republican senator Lindsey Graham -- who died suddenly in July -- had pushed the legislation since April 2025.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Now I work with a group in Wilmington that’s advocating for legislation reform for immigrants.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
“I made up my mind because I must not interfere with parliamentary discussion of key legislations because of my problems,” Terada said.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 20, 2022
“So, it’s a fight to control the data, and they’ve been very active in fighting those legislations everywhere they can.”
From Reuters ● Apr. 13, 2022
Rep. Pramila Jayapal still has the confidence of the various factions of her party, as well as the White House, to negotiate some passable legislations.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2022
Women's rights activists said they hoped other European countries would follow Sweden and approve similar legislations.
From BBC ● May 24, 2018
The two legislations ought to be completely independent, and yet mutually complementary.
From Aesthetical Essays of Frederich Schiller by Friedrich Schiller
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.
