legislation
Americannoun
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the act of making or enacting laws.
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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.
“This is really about: Does Fulton County have the right to this property, which is the various election records,” Richard Briffault, the Joseph P. Chamberlain Professor of Legislation at Columbia Law School, told me.
From Slate • May 8, 2026
Legislation introduced by lawmakers seeking to expand the TSP hasn’t advanced.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
Legislation no longer than one sentence could fix that if deemed necessary.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Legislation to enact the indexation of capital gains taxes was introduced in 1978, 1983, 1994, 1997 and 1998.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
Legislation would be necessary, and to that end Stayner was called to London to give his assistance.
From The History of the Post Office in British North America by Smith, William, Sir
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.
