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

But he faced pressure from Labour MP Tan Dhesi, who chairs the defence select committee, who warned that further delay to the plan risked "further damage to our defence-industrial base".

From BBC • Apr. 15, 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

Lord John Russell having introduced and carried a motion for a select committee on the subject.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 1. No 1, June 1850 by Various

Related Words

• panel