act of Congress
9
4.1
- noun
- /ækt əv ˈkɒŋɡrɛs/
- Formal
:
ley del Congreso
- To preserve the Constitution itself, the Court may strike down an act of Congress that violates its provisions.
- requires an act of Congress
That would has to be an act of Congress.
- That would has to be an act of Congress.
- So we asked GPO to stop printing and they were like, Nope, Act of Congress got a print.
Examples
-
One widely accepted precept of U.S. foreign policy is that a subsequent act of Congress can override a prior international agreement.
Academic text (2005) -
A Federal Reserve decision on monetary policy can, in principle, be overturned by an act of Congress.
Academic text (1997) -
Too bad it takes an act of Congress to reform Congress.
Blog text (1) -
But an act of Congress alone wasn't enough to get the job done.
Academic text (2015) -
Does it take an act of Congress to stop the EPA?
Blog text (3) -
Obama would have needed an act of Congress to get FOCA.
Blog text (6) -
Sir, pursuant to an act of Congress, you have been promoted to the rank of General of the Army.
-
All it takes is an act of Congress, and your supremacy clause argument is worthless.
Blog text (26) -
The new environmental regulations were established by an act of Congress to protect endangered species.
-
In order to fund the new infrastructure project, an act of Congress was required to allocate the necessary budget.
Synonyms
693
4.4
Laws made and passed by a parliament or other elected body
267
5.5
A law officially passed by a parliament or congress
1
5.5
A law passed by a parliament or congress
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is fully compositional: 'act' (a statute) + 'of' (linking) + 'Congress' (the legislature) straightforwardly yields 'a law passed by Congress.' This is a literal, cross-linguistically common construction (laws of/ passed by a legislature), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to derive the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase act of Congress comes from the idea of an official act made by the group called Congress, which makes the country's laws in the United States. Because only Congress can pass such formal laws, act of Congress means a very official 'law' or something that needs government permission.