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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

"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 upper house

First recorded in 1525–35

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:

But Mallikarjun Kharge, a senior leader of the opposition Congress party, brought up the issue in the upper house.

From Barron's Jul. 20, 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

The upper house, meanwhile, elected Nan Ni Ni Aye, a regional MP from Karen state with USDP, as another vice-president, the junta said in a statement.

From Barron's Mar. 31, 2026

He was warmly greeted at his entrance into the upper house.

From The Brothers' War by Reed, John Calvin

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