upper house

American  

noun

1. one of two branches of a legislature generally smaller and less representative than the lower branch, as the Senate of the U.S. Congress.

---

upper house British  

noun

1. Also called: upper chamber.  (often capitals) one of the two houses of a bicameral legislature Compare lower house

---

Etymology

Origin of upper house

First recorded in 1525–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

upper house

The bill, passed by the upper house on Friday, allows the imperial family to adopt distant male relatives over the age of 15 and lets women keep their royal status after marrying outside the family.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

MPs voted by 291 to 241 to back the bill, which had been rejected three times by the upper house of parliament, the Senate.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

The upper house said 42% of Medi-Cal enrollees are full-time workers who are not enrolled in their company’s healthcare plan because their wages are low enough to qualify for state-subsidized healthcare.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

Voters also took part in a referendum on the charter and whether to endorse its proposals for prime ministerial term limits, a new upper house of parliament, stronger presidential powers and greater judicial independence.

From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026

In most colonies a greater property qualification was required for voting for members of the upper house of the legislature than for members of the lower house.

From The Short Constitution by Russell, William F.