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Synonyms

select committee

American  

noun

  1. a committee, as of a legislative body, that is formed to examine and report on a specific bill or issue.

select committee British  

noun

  1. (in Britain) a small committee composed of members of parliament, set up by either House of Parliament to investigate and report back on a specified matter of interest

"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 select committee

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

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.

Foreign Affairs select committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry has invited Sir Olly to give evidence on Tuesday next week, the second time he will have been quizzed about his involvement in the Mandelson scandal.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

"You're killing the tree by removing the roots," he told MPs at a special hearing of the House of Commons Science Innovation and Technology select committee earlier this month.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Since the beginning of the year, she has organized two select committee hearings under the general banner of “housing construction innovation.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

Patterson has played a prominent role in Fujitsu's response to the Horizon scandal, representing the company at the public inquiry into the affair, and at House of Commons select committee hearings.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

This address to His Majesty and the protest of the Assembly of Upper Canada attracted the attention of a select committee of the Imperial Parliament.

From Egerton Ryerson and Education in Upper Canada by Putnam, J. Harold

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.