federal 1 of 2

as in national
of or relating to a federation or to its central government A federal system of government distributes power between a country's central and regional governments. The President, Congress, and the Supreme Court are all part of the federal government of the United States.

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Federal

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of federal
Adjective
For example, the order terminating federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs dismantles efforts to address racial disparities in public institutions. Deborah Omontese, The Conversation, 21 Feb. 2025 If convicted, each would face a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. Ryan Morik, Fox News, 21 Feb. 2025 The federal government's General Services Administration, or GSA, initiated the auction in September 2024, with bidding commencing in November. Dan Ruetenik, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2025 Schumer launched a strategy earlier this week to use the budget debate to focus on both the implications of the tax policy and the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, which is slashing across the federal government. Lisa Mascaro, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for federal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for federal
Adjective
  • On Tuesday, Trump raised the scepter of new tariffs on copper, again in the context of national security.
    Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Liberals may not have liked his picks—Jeff Sessions for attorney general, say, or Michael Flynn for national security adviser—but regardless of ideology, most of his top advisers had recognizable credentials.
    Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Cameron directed Arnold Schwarzenegger in this influential action pic about a family man who also happens to be a G-man.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
  • For more than forty years, Hoover’s G-men devoted hundreds of thousands of man hours to the threat that was Paul Robeson: debriefing informants, wiretapping phone conversations, and monitoring rallies, concerts, and plays.
    Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Why Do Some People Have GI Issues on Semaglutide? Medications like Ozempic are frequently associated with side effects like nausea or constipation.
    Mara Santilli, Flow Space, 18 Feb. 2025
  • Oral bioavailability, the bioavailability of drugs that are swallowed or otherwise delivered into the stomach, is affected by several factors, including the pH of the stomach and small intestine and enzymes and metabolism in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
    Paul McClure February 13, New Atlas, 13 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • You’re automatically dubbed a narc, a kiss-ass, a too-cool.
    Brandi California, SPIN, 1 July 2024
  • The software, which would effectively act like a narc embedded on people’s iPhones, could have unintended consequences, critics said, despite Apple’s assurances that it would be used solely to stop child predators.
    Declan Harty, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2021
Noun
  • In desperation, Smith took out the Zaida’s automatic rifle and fired half a dozen tracer bullets over the other ship’s bow.
    David Wolman, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Plus, each bag comes with a unique tracer number for easy recovery.
    Madison Yauger, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Less than a month later, plainclothesmen arrested Nassar at a local tire store, and Munford took him into custody.
    Jason Schmidt, Glamour, 30 Oct. 2018
  • Hustling bucks and ducking the Third Division boys, those earnest young plainclothesmen assigned to the vice squad who work out of the 17th Precinct on the East Side.
    Gail Sheehy, Daily Intelligencer, 9 Sep. 2017
Noun
  • Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Conversation Starters: The long tail of a heated U.S.-Canada rivalry More best-on-best international hockey, please.
    Alex Kirshner, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
  • The long, bony tail—a vestige of its dinosaurian past—contrasts sharply with the modern short tail of Baminornis zhenghensis, prompting the aforementioned reevaluation of its place on the evolutionary tree.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The National Transportation Safety Board said a team of U.S. investigators will participate in the probe.
    Laya Neelakandan,Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2025
  • The man, who investigators believe was White and around 35 years old, offered Ronnie and his wife a short-term job at a logging camp that would also purportedly provide daycare for their children.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 16 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Federal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/federal. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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