senator
Americannoun
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Often Senator a member of a senate.
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Senator, (in the United States) a title of respect accorded a person who is or has been a member of the Senate.
noun
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(often capital) a member of a Senate or senate
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any legislator or statesman
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of senator
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English senatour, from Anglo-French, from Latin senātor, equivalent to sen(ātus) “council of elders” + -ātor noun suffix; see senate, -ator
Explanation
A senator is a person who works in the government. In the United States, senators are elected by voters to represent them in a state or federal senate. Each state in the US elects two senators who serve six-year terms in Washington, DC, where they pass laws and vote on policies. Other countries have senators as well, either elected or appointed. The word senator has been used in English since around 1200, from the Latin word, senex, or "old man." This is especially appropriate when you know that men have far outnumbered women in the US senate and that the first female senator wasn't elected until 1932.
Vocabulary lists containing senator
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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.
See Examples For:
The most noticeable change of Warsh’s first two months—one that required no task force or vote—surfaced when a senator used his five minutes of questioning to try, unsuccessfully, to pin Warsh down about his approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
As the junior senator from California, a progressive state, Harris was vocal in her support for Medicare for All.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
This new tradition, which allows many more people to witness our quadrennial peaceful transfer of power, started with Reagan’s 1981 inauguration, by which time Moynihan was a Democratic senator from New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
America got its first female senator not after an election, but after a death.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
In his later years, Dr. John Martyn Harlow became an important man in Woburn, a state senator, an advisor to the governor, and a bank president.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
A proposal to ban social media for children under 15 is due to be voted on by France's parliament on Tuesday after deputies and senators reached a compromise agreement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
With no end in sight, senators from both parties signaled frustrations with the administration’s plans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
When Hamawy and his full team did make it home, he went to Washington to thank Duckworth and several other senators who helped them get out, including fellow Jerseyite Cory Booker.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
Behind closed doors, Democratic senators told him he was uniquely qualified for the job and praised his judgment and experience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Her presence in Rome was having the desired effect on Caesar even if it was making his fellow senators tense.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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.
