legislature

noun

leg·​is·​la·​ture ˈle-jə-ˌslā-chər 

 also  ˌle-jə-ˈslā-,

 British often  ˈle-jə-slə-chə

: a body of persons having the power to legislate

specifically : an organized body having the authority to make laws for a political unit

Examples of legislature in a Sentence

Our legislature passed a law requiring people to wear safety belts.

Each state has its own legislature.

Recent Examples on the Web

With just days left to make a decision, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) opted to veto a bill passed by the state legislature that would have created one of the most comprehensive regulatory frameworks for artificial intelligence in the U.S. —Owen Tedford, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024

This summer, the state legislature developed a bill to allow small producers to sell at local markets. —Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 1 Oct. 2024

Disney issued an ultimatum to the Virginia legislature to improve infrastructure surrounding the site, threatening to abandon the project if the General Assembly failed to approve a $150 million improvement package on the last day of its legislative session in March 1994. —Jared Bahir Browsh, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Sep. 2024

The party had considered fielding a write-in candidate for the race; Kleeb said the party opted against that in order to allocate more resources to U.S. House and state legislature races, Kleeb said. —Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

legislature

noun

leg·​is·​la·​ture ˈlej-ə-ˌslā-chər 

: an organized body of persons having the authority to make laws

Legal Definition

legislature

noun

leg·​is·​la·​ture ˈle-jəs-ˌlā-chər, -ˌchu̇r 

: a body of persons having the power to legislate

specifically : an organized body having the authority to make laws for a political unit (as a nation or state) compare executive, judiciary