legislator

noun

leg·​is·​la·​tor ˈle-jə-ˌslā-tər  -ˌslā-ˌtȯr 

 also  ˌle-jə-ˈslā-ˌtȯr

: one that makes laws especially for a political unit

especially : a member of a legislative body

legislatorial

ˌle-jə-slə-ˈtȯr-ē-əl 

adjective

legislatorship

ˈle-jə-ˌslā-tər-ˌship 

noun

Synonyms

• lawgiver
• lawmaker
• solon

Examples of legislator in a Sentence

Write to your state legislator.

the legislators met in an all-night session to hammer out the details of the bill

Recent Examples on the Web

The iPhone 16 is currently the only iPhone without parts pairing (thanks to some aggressive prodding from legislators) and therefore supports simple, easy and cheaper repairs. —Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025

Thousands of local posts are up for grabs in the midterm elections across the archipelago nation of about 120 million people, ranging from district councilors and mayors all the way up to legislators. —Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 9 May 2025

Two cars belonging to state legislators were vandalized Wednesday in the parking lot of the Colorado Capitol, police said. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 8 May 2025

But legislators from space-friendly states that depend on NASA for thousands of local jobs—most notably Texas, Florida, and California—rebelled, and funding was restored for both vehicles. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin legis lator, literally, proposer of a law, from legis (genitive of lex law) + lator proposer, from ferre (past participle latus) to carry, propose — more at tolerate, bear

First Known Use

circa 1513, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for legislator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator

Kids Definition

legislator

noun

leg·​is·​la·​tor ˈlej-ə-ˌslā-ˌtȯ(ə)r  -ˌslāt-ər 

: a person who makes laws

especially : a member of a legislature

Legal Definition

legislator

noun

leg·​is·​la·​tor ˈle-jəs-ˌlā-tər, -ˌtȯr 

: a person who makes laws especially for a political unit

especially : a member of a legislative body

legislatorial

ˌle-jəs-lə-ˈtōr-ē-əl 

adjective

legislatorship noun

Etymology

Latin legis lator, literally, proposer of a law, from legis (genitive of lex law) + lator proposer, from ferre (past participle latus) to carry, propose