attorney general

noun

plural attorneys general or attorney generals

: the chief law officer of a nation or state who represents the government in litigation and serves as its principal legal adviser

Examples of attorney general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Nevertheless, the state’s governor, attorney general and legislative leaders were meeting to discuss how the state would respond. —Nicholas Riccardi, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026

Grapevine police say Jones evaded arrest multiple times before finally being apprehended on April 17 with assistance from the Texas attorney general’s Fugitive Task Force and the Fort Worth Police Department. —Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026

The association disagreed with the attorney general’s analysis, association CEO Rick Naerebout told the Statesman in a phone interview. —Idaho Statesman, 30 Apr. 2026

When maintenance issues reached a crisis point with sewage overflow in 2023, residents turned to the attorney general to intervene. —Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined above

Video

Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

Kids Definition

attorney general

noun

plural attorneys general or attorney generals

: the chief law officer of a nation or state who represents the government in legal matters

Legal Definition

attorney general

noun

plural attorneys general or attorney generals

: the chief law officer of a nation or state who represents the government in litigation and serves as its principal legal advisor