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standing committee

American  

noun

  1. a permanent committee, as of a legislature, society, etc., intended to consider all matters pertaining to a designated subject.

  2. (initial capital letters) the highest policymaking body of the Chinese Communist Party, composed of top party leaders from the Politburo.


standing committee British  

noun

  1. a permanent committee appointed to deal with a specified subject

"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 standing committee

First recorded in 1900–05

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 current standing committee comprises 175 members and is chaired by Zhao Leji, who is also part of the Communist Party's politburo standing committee – China's equivalent of a cabinet.

From BBC Mar. 3, 2026

He also became head of the ruling party's youth wing and joined its standing committee, and raised his international profile.

From Reuters Jul. 20, 2023

Zhao, 65, is expected to serve as the head of the National People’s Congress and its standing committee which handles most actual legislative work.

From Seattle Times Mar. 8, 2023

The parliament on Sunday also proposed amendments to a lawmaking procedure during an emergency that would allow its decision-making standing committee to skip multiple rounds of discussion before passing legislation.

From Washington Post Mar. 5, 2023

In 1652 the Council of State appointed a standing committee of Trade, Plantations, and Foreign Affairs of which Cromwell and Vane were members.

From The Colonization of North America 1492-1783 by Bolton, Herbert Eugene

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