senate

noun

sen·​ate ˈse-nət 

plural senates

1

: an assembly or council usually possessing high deliberative and legislative functions: such as

a

: the second chamber in the bicameral legislature of a major political unit (such as a nation, state, or province)

—often used in capitalized form as the shortened name of a specific senate

The bill passed in both the House and the Senate.

Senate Republicans

This article contends that most issues related to Senate reform in Canada have been addressed in Australia.

—Howard Cody

b

: the supreme council of the ancient Roman republic and empire

2

: the hall or chamber in which a senate meets

3

: a governing body of some universities charged with maintaining academic standards and regulations and usually composed of the principal or representative members of the faculty

Examples of senate in a Sentence

the New York State Senate

The Senate approved the bill.

The Senate voted to repeal the tax cut.

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2018, Democratic senate candidate Bill Nelson held the county over Scott by roughly 20 percentage points. —Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2024

Skinner and Bradford, both of whose state senate terms expired last week, co-sponsored the nation’s first NIL legislation, California’s Fair Pay to Play Act (SB 206), which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2019. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 Dec. 2024

Also, in southeast Mecklenburg, there's a competitive senate race between Democrat Woodson Bradley, a realtor, and Republican Stacie McGinn, a former Bank of America executive. —Alexandria Sands, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024

The program was officially approved by the university's academic senate in October 2023, which also established a program review set for five years after its implementation, according to the university. —Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English senat, from Anglo-French, from Latin senatus, from sen-, senex old, old man — more at senior

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

senate

noun

sen·​ate ˈsen-ət 

: an official law-making group or council: as

a

: the supreme council of the ancient Roman republic and empire

b

: the higher branch of a legislature of a nation, state, or province

Etymology

Middle English senat "lawmaking council of ancient Rome," from early French senat (same meaning), from Latin senatus, literally, "council of elders," from sen-, senex "old" — related to senior

Legal Definition

senate

noun

sen·​ate ˈse-nət 

: the upper chamber in a bicameral legislature

especially, capitalized : the upper house of the U.S. Congress or a state legislature