Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

House of Representatives

American  

noun

  1. the lower legislative branch in many national and state bicameral governing bodies, as in the United States, Mexico, and Japan. H.R., HR

House of Representatives British  

noun

  1. (in the US) the lower chamber of Congress

  2. (in Australia) the lower chamber of Parliament

  3. the sole chamber of New Zealand's Parliament: formerly the lower chamber

  4. (in the US) the lower chamber in many state legislatures

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
House of Representatives Cultural  

  1. The lower house of the United States Congress. With 435 popularly elected officials, the House (as it is often called) is the most representative body in the federal government. House seats are apportioned (see apportionment) relative to each state's population. Because of its larger size, the House tends to maintain a closer link to local constituent concerns than the Senate, though both houses of Congress participate in virtually all aspects of legislation and policymaking. The Speaker of the House is one of the most influential officials in Washington, D.C., and is second in succession to the presidency, after the vice president.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The couple's announcement in recent weeks that they would provide testimony after all marked a reversal of their defiant position, and came as a potential contempt vote loomed in the House of Representatives.

From BBC

“As a woman, this is really disgusting to see. Not to mention, it brings dishonor on the House of Representatives.”

From Salon

On January 20, 2004, I took a seat in the gallery of the House of Representatives to hear President Bush deliver his State of the Union address.

From Los Angeles Times

Meetings with federal lawmakers and their staff have taken up some of Bullock’s time in recent months, along with members of the House of Representatives and their staff.

From The Wall Street Journal

Early voting is already underway across Texas, which is picking candidates for its 38 seats in the US House of Representatives, and for one of its two spots in the 100-member Senate.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.