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:
This has been a sticking point in discussions over new children’s online safety legislation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The legislation was backed by French lawmakers in July, making it the first European country to block young people from the platforms, after concerns over the harmful effects on children's mental health.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The Constitutional Council found that Article 1 of the legislation "constitutes an infringement that is neither appropriate, necessary, nor proportionate" to the freedom of expression and communication of those under 15.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Cervantes’ office didn’t respond to requests about why the legislation died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
But the hard facts were that fifty years of nonviolence had brought the African people nothing but more repressive legislation, and fewer and fewer rights.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
"Finally, working people will enjoy more security, better pay and dignity at work thanks to this bill," he said, echoing Unite's calls for the legislations to be implemented "at speed".
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2025
“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
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
“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
The traditions and histories and legislations of the past were worked over into a connected series of writings, through which was woven the new priestly system, in a historical form.
From The Right and Wrong Uses of the Bible by R. Heber Newton
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.
