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Synonyms

legislature

American  
[lej-is-ley-cher] / ˈlɛdʒ ɪsˌleɪ tʃər /

noun

  1. a deliberative body of persons, usually elective, who are empowered to make, change, or repeal the laws of a country or state; the branch of government having the power to make laws, as distinguished from the executive and judicial branches of government.

legislature British  
/ ˈlɛdʒɪsˌleɪtʃə /

noun

  1. a body of persons vested with power to make, amend, and repeal laws Compare executive judiciary

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • sublegislature noun

Etymology

Origin of legislature

First recorded in 1670–80; legislat(or) + -ure

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.

A regulator—a federal agency, a state legislature or an attorney general—wants a certain behavior from an AI developer, a police department or a hospital.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The state legislature passed the bill last year with widespread support.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Ladakh has since called upon New Delhi to include it in the "Sixth Schedule" of India's constitution and have their own local legislature to make their laws and policies.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

While its 2019 constitution grants citizens the right to demonstrate, a law defining the extent of that right is currently stalled in the legislature.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

In the postwar years, when an influx of demobilized students threatened to burst the seams of Berkeley’s outdated scientific facilities, California’s legislature and the university’s private patrons responded with unprecedented generosity.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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.