legislation
Americannoun
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the act of making or enacting laws.
-
a law or a body of laws enacted.
noun
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the act or process of making laws; enactment
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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
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13th Amendment (1865)
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19th Amendment (1920)
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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:
He is uncertain of the cause of the collision but is convinced the legislation will make streets safer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Lindsey Graham is no longer with us, but his signature legislation of this Congress has never been more alive.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026
Budget reconciliation is the process by which lawmakers can pass spending and tax legislation with a simple Senate majority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Some delays were due to shifts under the 2020 legislation that the FAA had to undertake for the first time, said Boeing Senior Vice President Mike Sinnett.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
The same ladies still looked at him with pleading eyes, the same serving girls still winked at him, the same councilmen still slipped pieces of potential legislation under his door with hopeful notes.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
The Brazilian proposal is shaping up to be one of the world's strongest legislations on social media, comparable to the European Union's Digital Services Act enacted last year.
From Reuters ● May 2, 2023
Some want legislations to force companies to explain how they intend to close gaps - with penalties for those who fail .
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2023
Kishida returned to Tokyo on Saturday after a nine-day trip and apparently faced pressure from his governing party executives to make a quick decision on Terada before discussions on key legislations resume Monday.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2022
I think it discredits those who pass these legislations, those who adopt them and those who implement them more than anything else.
From US News ● Dec. 21, 2015
That parents have now no right of life and death upon their children as they have had under certain legislations.
From Elements of Morals With Special Application of the Moral Law to the Duties of the Individual and of Society and the State by Janet, Paul
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.
