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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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
Noun
The federal agency has been working to reduce dietary exposure to contaminants for children to as close to zero as possible. Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025 He was sentenced by a federal judge to 15 months behind bars. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025 If its lawyers were unable to enter federal buildings or courthouses, representation of clients before federal courts and agencies would become impossible. Fabio Bertoni, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025 The spot, paid for by the Ontario provincial government and not the Canadian federal government, features the voice of former President Ronald Reagan, speaking during a radio address on April 25, 1987. Michael Collins, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Federal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Federal
Adjective
  • This national narrative sat in tension with a growing regionalism, seen in the rise of local historians and small museums.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 26 Oct. 2025
  • While Virginia has leaned Democratic in recent presidential elections, its gubernatorial contests have often defied national trends.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The project, called the MARS-V Project, is under development by MARS-V, a non-governmental organization based in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar.
    Rosanna Philpott, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Officer Ronald Foy was indicted for official oppression, officer William Hulslander for official oppression and tampering with a governmental record, and former officer Joel Weinstein for tampering with a governmental record, according to a news release from the Denton Police Department.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Now the G-men head down there to collar Massachusetts cops — sheriffs and crooked state troopers.
    Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Exactly what will happen to DC’s most polarizing building after the G-men move out is still not clear, although President Trump has suggested the FBI will eventually return.
    Andy Rose, CNN Money, 19 July 2025
Noun
  • These conditions cause inflammation in the GI tract.
    Cynthia Sass, Health, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Because of its low to medium glycemic index (GI), honey doesn't cause blood sugar levels to increase to quite the same extent that sugar does.
    Megan Nunn, Verywell Health, 7 Oct. 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
  • The researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) scans, along with a radioactive tracer to measure the production of a chemical called acetylcholine in the participants’ brains at the start and end of the study.
    Korin Miller, SELF, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The imaging technique relies on the use of a radioactive tracer and a special camera to make pictures of breast tissue.
    Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 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
  • Newsweek's tracker, based on the 10 most recent polls, shows Spanberger with an eight point lead over Earle-Sears, on 51 percent to 43 percent.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • In the 2024 cycle, Mellon donated a total of $165 million, according to campaign finance tracker OpenSecrets.
    Nino Paoli, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Federal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Federal. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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