legislation
Americannoun
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the act of making or enacting laws.
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a law or a body of laws enacted.
noun
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the act or process of making laws; enactment
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the laws so made
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of legislation
1645–55; < Late Latin lēgislātiōn- (stem of lēgislātiō ), equivalent to Latin phrase lēgis lātiō the bringing (i.e., proposing) of a law, equivalent to lēgis (genitive of lēx law) + lātiō a bringing; see relation
Explanation
Legislation is the act or process of making or enacting laws. Some people think there should be more legislation in the area of education and some people think there should be less — governments debate the matter periodically. The noun legislation refers to the actual law enacted by a legislative body at the national, state, or local level. There has been some very odd legislation over the years. In one state it was illegal to kiss on a train; in another, it was illegal to take a bath on Sunday. The sweeping legislation made radical changes to tax law, health care, and immigration law.
Vocabulary lists containing legislation
Election Lingo
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13th Amendment (1865)
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19th Amendment (1920)
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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:
She’s a loyal House Democrat, a pragmatist more focused on legislation than spectacle.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
Lummis has been a top supporter of the crypto legislation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Those impacted by the hold up to assisted dying legislation say: "We don't have time for these delays."
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
But that changed late Tuesday, when Beutner sent a letter to state Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, a South Bay Democrat who is sponsoring the legislation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The federal government no longer made any effort to enforce federal civil rights legislation, and funding for the Freedmen’s Bureau was slashed to such a degree that the agency became virtually defunct.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
The Brazilian proposal is shaping up to be one of the world's strongest legislations on social media, comparable to the European Union's Digital Services Act enacted last year.
From Reuters ● May 2, 2023
Some want legislations to force companies to explain how they intend to close gaps - with penalties for those who fail .
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2023
Rep. Pramila Jayapal still has the confidence of the various factions of her party, as well as the White House, to negotiate some passable legislations.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2022
I think it discredits those who pass these legislations, those who adopt them and those who implement them more than anything else.
From US News ● Dec. 21, 2015
Christianity established common ties between these different legislations, and imperceptibly softened their native coarseness, although they retained the elements of their pagan and barbaric origin.
From Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by Jacob, P. L.
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.
