congress

noun

con·​gress ˈkäŋ-grəs How to pronounce congress (audio)
 also  -rəs,
 British usually  ˈkäŋ-ˌgres
1
a
: the act or action of coming together and meeting
b
: coitus
2
: a formal meeting of delegates for discussion and usually action on some question
the Congress of Vienna
3
: the supreme legislative body of a nation and especially of a republic
the Congress of the United States
4
: an association usually made up of delegates from constituent organizations
the World Energy Congress
5
: a single meeting or session of a group
congressional
kən-ˈgresh-nəl How to pronounce congress (audio)
kän-
-ˈgre-shə-nᵊl
adjective
congressionally adverb

Examples of congress in a Sentence

She was recently elected to the country's congress. the congresses of Mexico and Chile The bill easily passed both houses of Congress. Congress is not currently in session.
Recent Examples on the Web In 1931, at a congress in Jerusalem to highlight Muslim solidarity against Zionism, Sunni participants suggested that a famous Iraqi Shiite cleric lead the Friday prayer in the al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Toby Matthiesen, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2024 At the congress, Beam met with 12 other white power leaders and movement elders to craft a battle plan. TIME, 5 Feb. 2024 Even rich governments can’t commit that kind of cash, and often struggle to get respective congresses and parliaments to even sign off on modest amounts. Jamey Keaten, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2023 In 1921, casts of some of those brains were put on display at New York’s AMNH as part of a congress on eugenics; a century after hosting the event, the museum issued a formal apology. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023 The snap elections were forced by President Guillermo Lasso’s decision to shut down Ecuador’s congress, which was attempting to impeach him. Time, 14 Aug. 2023 Delegates to local people’s congresses are allowed to submit policy suggestions, which government agencies take more or less seriously depending in part on how many delegates add their signatures. Dimitar D. Gueorguiev, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022 The upstart golf venture LIV, which burst onto the scene in 2022 with unprecedented paydays for major stars such as Phil Mickelson, shocked the sports world—and the U.S. congress—by striking a deal earlier this year to merge with the PGA Tour. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 30 July 2023 This drives entrepreneurs to cultivate relations with officials through financial and social ties and by seeking membership in local people’s congresses. Changdong Zhang, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'congress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin congressus, from congredi to come together, from com- + gradi to go — more at grade entry 1

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of congress was in 1528

Dictionary Entries Near congress

Cite this Entry

“Congress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/congress. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

congress

noun
con·​gress ˈkäŋ-grəs How to pronounce congress (audio)
1
: a formal meeting of delegates for discussion and action
2
: the chief lawmaking body of a nation and especially of a republic that in the U.S. is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives
3
: an association of organizations having a common interest
congressional
kən-ˈgresh-nəl
-ən-ᵊl
adjective
congressionally
adverb

Medical Definition

congress

noun
con·​gress
ˈkäŋ-grəs also -rəs, British usually ˈkäŋ-ˌgres
: coitus

Legal Definition

congress

noun
con·​gress
1
: a formal meeting of delegates
2
a
: the supreme legislative body of a nation and especially a republic
b
capitalized : the legislative branch of the United States government
specifically : the U.S. House of Representatives
3
capitalized
a
: the U.S. legislature as it is composed for an enumerated two-year period
the 101st Congress
b
: a single session of the U.S. legislature see also house of representatives, senate
congressional adjective
congressionally adverb
Etymology

Latin congressus meeting, encounter, from congredi to approach, meet

More from Merriam-Webster on congress

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