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• senate
  senate

  noun

  an assembly or council of citizens having the highest deliberative functions in a government, especially a legislative assembly of a state or nation.
• Senate
  Senate

  noun

  the upper chamber of the legislatures of the US, Canada, Australia, and many other countries

senate

American  

[sen-it] / ˈsɛn ɪt /

noun

• senates
  plural

1. an assembly or council of citizens having the highest deliberative functions in a government, especially a legislative assembly of a state or nation.

2. (initial capital letter) the upper house of the legislature of certain countries, as the United States, France, Italy, Canada, Ireland, Republic of South Africa, Australia, and some Latin American countries.

3. the room or building in which such a group meets.

4. Roman History. the supreme council of state, the membership and functions of which varied at different periods.

5. a governing, advisory, or disciplinary body, as in certain universities.

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Senate ¹ British  

/ ˈsɛnɪt /

noun

1. the upper chamber of the legislatures of the US, Canada, Australia, and many other countries

2. the legislative council of ancient Rome. Originally the council of the kings, the Senate became the highest legislative, judicial, and religious authority in republican Rome

3. the ruling body of certain free cities in medieval and modern Europe

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senate ² British  

/ ˈsɛnɪt /

noun

1. any legislative or governing body considered to resemble a Senate

2. the main governing body at some colleges and universities

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• senates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of senate

1175–1225; Middle English senat < Latin senātus council of elders, equivalent to sen ( ex ) old + -ātus -ate ³

Explanation

When a government is split into two houses, or assemblies, one of them — the "upper house" — is called a senate. The main job of most senates is to take a second look at legislation after it's been passed by the lower house. The idea of a senate as a legislative assembly goes back to the founding of Rome, around 750 B.C.E., with the word taken from the Latin senatus, meaning "highest council." That word, then, is thought to come from senex, meaning "old man," in this case probably meant as a form of respect for wisdom. The word later grew to include national government, and the United States took the word in 1775 to refer to the upper level of the legislature. Today, you can get elected to a senate even if you're not an old man.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

senate Senate senates

UC’s admissions board — a part of the faculty-led Academic Senate — plans to deliver recommendations in a report on testing in February to the senate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The blonde executive assistant to the president was then mentioned by a Democratic senate hopeful, in comments that set the internet alight -- and incensed the White House.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

The board also dissolved the faculty senate and replaced it with an advisory council to the president, which includes two faculty members from each of the university’s colleges and additional members appointed by the president.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

The bill now heads to the senate, where it is also expected to secure approval, before being enacted by the president.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

He’s running for state senate next year, even though he has no political experience.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Millions of dollars Texas GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton raised in the third quarter of 2026, double his second-quarter total.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

GEO Group, a for-profit prison company, filed a complaint in federal court over Senate Bill 942, also called the Civil Detainees’ Bill of Rights Act of 2026.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

I would start with Ohio, where we have Sherrod Brown, who’s in a good position to get back into the Senate.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

A North Carolina state Senate ad said, “You guessed it! AI was definitely used to generate these silly video clips.”

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026

Because his Ohio Senate duties weren't full-time, he continued as president and teacher at the Eclectic Institute, too.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Since news of the deal broke, he said he has met with the system chancellors, provosts, program directors and faculty senates about the acquisition.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 31, 2023

But the school’s faculty and student senates each passed resolutions calling for a change and the university’s alumni board of directors supported reassessing the team name’s appropriateness.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 10, 2021

State senates range in size from twenty members in Alaska to sixty-seven members in Minnesota.

From Textbooks ● Jul. 28, 2021

Voters are also choosing representatives in their local state senates - and in Delaware, Democratic candidate, Sarah McBride has made history as the country's first ever trans state senator.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2020

It sits in four criminal and six civil senates, each consisting of seven judges, one of whom is the president.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 7 "Geoponici" to "Germany" by Various

Related Words

• body
• chamber
• house
• parliament