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
Airlines and banks say legislation could put popular rewards programs at risk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The new rules will come in via secondary legislation using powers from the Food Safety Act 1990.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Other nations rush to pass mandatory Mind’s Eye legislation, and in a matter of months every person on Earth is living in a fantasy world.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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
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
“Our draft legislations means that these companies will be punished heavily if they don’t meet that standard,” she added.
From Reuters ● Oct. 25, 2021
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
As to ancient legislations, there is not one that is not said to have come from heaven.
From Outlines of a Philosophy of Religion based on Psychology and History by Sabatier, Auguste
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.
