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 a change in how it is funded by the federal government several years ago, and with North Carolina’s own legislature pitching in relatively little, the small team at the center has struggled, its CEO said. —Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2026

The Tennessee legislature first repealed a decades-old state law preventing lawmakers from redistricting between censuses as the first step in an effort to turn another seat in the state’s House delegation red. —Joseph Nepomuceno, The Washington Examiner, 7 May 2026

Under the Texas Education Code, the state legislature established a comprehensive framework that vests control of each of the system’s component universities in its respective board of regents. —Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 7 May 2026

But Democratic lawmakers, who controlled the state legislature for all of Newsom’s tenure as governor, killed three universal healthcare bills in that time over concerns about its huge cost — with the most recent blow coming last month. —Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 7 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1676, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for legislature

• nomenclature
• nature

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