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
Adjective
Two decades later, ICE has ballooned into a federal behemoth. Benjamin Waddell, Denver Post, 22 Apr. 2025 One is the two-sided bronze Japanese American Internment Memorial, at the federal building in downtown San Jose. Robert Taylor, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2025 Three Manhattan federal prosecutors resigned on Tuesday after saying the Trump administration had asked them to admit wrongdoing in New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s corruption case as a condition of their return. Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2025 Courts have repeatedly ruled that immigration enforcement is a function of the federal government. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for federal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for federal
Adjective
  • Already more than 1,000 workers down, EPA tries to convince others to depart US military takes an abrupt turn after decades of climate change research Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, has covered the environment, climate change and other news for decades.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The blaze broke out at around 12:25 p.m. local time on Tuesday in the city of Liaoning, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency and national broadcaster CCTV.
    Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 29 Apr. 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
  • Other famous faces in the cast include perennial G-man Randall Park as Cordelia’s frustratingly conventional FBI minder and Jason Lee as the President’s Roger-Clinton-esque loser brother.
    Judy Berman, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Pretzels Foods made with refined grains and sugars have a higher glycemic index (GI), a food's ability to raise blood sugar levels.
    Lauren O'Connor, MS, RDN, Health, 16 Apr. 2025
  • This may be a sign of bleeding in your GI tract.7 Before taking a magnesium supplement, speak with your healthcare provider.
    Alex Yampolsky, Health, 7 Apr. 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 physical tracer in Recover fibers means the final garment can be verified using a scanner.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 22 Apr. 2025
  • If the rhythmic releases of norepinephrine correlate with the arrival of a larger tracer at a sensor on the brain’s surface, that would be a fascinating finding.
    Veronique Greenwood, Quanta Magazine, 26 Mar. 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
  • In the video Millie was confidently walking along a park path, her own leash in her mouth, tail wagging, and clearly enjoying the freedom of a spring stroll.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Further investigations confirmed it was indeed caused by an exoplanet—and the delay in the starlight’s return came from its comet-like tail.
    Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Tesla Center footage allegedly showed McIntire lighting a device, which ignites, and throwing it on a Cybertruck. McIntire then returned to the area of the witness’ home on foot and was seen leaving the area in his vehicle around 11:13 p.m., investigators said.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Miami Gardens’ investigators on Friday afternoon were still trying to determine who the shooter was and the circumstances of the altercation, the spokesperson said.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Federal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/federal. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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