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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of select committee

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

Chi Onwurah MP, chair of the Science Innovation and Technology Select Committee, discovered this when she asked Chapman for a comparison of blue-sky spending before and after the reorganisation at a select committee hearing.

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

Sir Keir Starmer told the Liaison Committee, a parliamentary committee made up of every select committee chair, that he did not believe the leaks were coming from inside his own office.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2025

This shouldn't be happening - according to what Evri's legal director, Hugo Martin, told a parliamentary select committee in January.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2025

Designs were submitted by members of the Art class, and a select committee appointed to consider them.

From The Girls of St. Cyprian's A Tale of School Life by Brazil, Angela

Related Words

• panel