lower house

American

[loh-er] / ˈloʊ ər /

noun

one of two branches of a legislature, generally more representative and with more members than the upper branch.

lower house British

noun

Also called: lower chamber. one of the two houses of a bicameral legislature: usually the larger and more representative house Compare upper house

"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

Etymology

Origin of lower house

First recorded in 1570–80

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.

As governor, Rocha has immunity from prosecution, which can be stripped by Mexico’s lower house of Congress.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

Its rollout is now tied to a population-based redraw of constituencies based on the 2011 census - likely expanding the lower house from 543 to about 850 seats.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

The March 5 election returned a new 275-seat lower house of parliament, with the RSP winning a commanding majority of 182.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

The RSP received 182 votes in the final tally - falling short of achieving a two-thirds supermajority in the parliament's lower house by two seats.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Such laws are infamous beyond expression; one would suppose they had been passed by a Legislature, the lower house of which were hyenas, the upper house snakes, and the executive a cannibal king.

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 8 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Political by Ingersoll, Robert Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023