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United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

3 3.6
A lower house of the United States Congress where members elected from each state make and pass national laws
  • proper noun
  • /juːˈnaɪtɪd steɪts haʊs əv ˌrɛprɪˈzɛntətɪvz/
translation icon : Cámara de Representantes de los Estados Unidos
  • The bill was passed by the United States House of Representatives after a long debate.

She is demis fag and she should be nowhere near a position of power, yet she is in the United States House of Representatives.

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Examples

  • Paul Broun, member of the United States House of Representatives.

    Blog text (13)
  • I didn't run for the United States House of Representatives to talk about what bathroom I use.

  • Ten years ago, on October 10, 2002, the United States House of Representatives made one of the most calamitous mistakes of a generation.

    Blog text (2)
  • Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give before this committee of the United States House of Representatives will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The Office of Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby declared vacant.

  • That's how the Democratic Party will have a permanent lock on the Electoral College and win back the United States House of Representatives.

    Blog text (33)
  • John Andrew Boehner is the 61st and current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.

    Blog text (33)
  • Democrats did not have as strong a performance in races for the United States House of Representatives last week as they did in the contests for the Senate and the presidency.

    Blog text (20)
  • After fourteen years as judge of the Detroit Recorder's Court, Crockett was elected a member of the United States House of Representatives in 1980, where he served ten years.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Alarmed by reports of Klan violence in the Southern states, the United States House of Representatives in the fall of 1921 initiated an investigation of the Klan.

    Academic text (1996)

Synonyms

House of Representatives
vsUnited States House of Representatives
  • US
210 3.0

The lower law-making part of the United States Congress with people chosen from each state by population

is centered on lawmaking responsibilities rather than on seat apportionment
U.S. House
vsUnited States House of Representatives
27 2.8

The part of the United States Congress where elected representatives make laws

is described by its lawmaking role rather than focusing on its formal name
U.S. House of Representatives
vsUnited States House of Representatives
12 3.1

The part of the United States Congress with elected representatives that makes and passes federal laws

is written with the full country name instead of the abbreviation
US House
vsUnited States House of Representatives
5 3.1

The lower part of the United States Congress that makes laws

is defined by its legislative duties rather than its short name
US House of Representatives
vsUnited States House of Representatives
2 3.3

The lower house of the United States Congress with 435 elected members who make national laws

emphasizes both creating and passing federal laws rather than only making

Surface Forms

Morphology

united + state + house + of + representative

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'United States' identifies the nation, 'House' denotes a legislative chamber and 'Representatives' denotes elected officials, so the overall meaning follows directly from the constituents. This naming pattern is cross-linguistically common for legislative bodies, so a B1 learner who knows the component words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The United States House of Representatives gets its name from simple ideas: United States shows it is for the whole country, House means a 'meeting place', and Representatives are people 'chosen to speak for others'. So the name describes the country's group of elected people who meet to make and pass laws.