From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfederalfed‧e‧ral /ˈfedərəl/ ●●● W1 AWL adjective 1 PPGa federal country or system of government consists of a group of states which control their own affairs, but which are also controlled by a single national government which makes decisions on foreign affairs, defence etc Switzerland is a federal republic.2 PPGrelating to the central government of a country such as the US, rather than the government of one of its states federal law federal taxes
Examples from the Corpus
federal• federal agencies• the Federal Bureau of Investigation• The river of federal cash has one source: election-year politics.• That he might have surrendered and taken his chances in federal court defended by a lawyer?• A federal court ruled this month that Napster helped users to violate music copyright laws.• Federal funding for the project was cut last year• The Fed last trimmed its target for federal funds, or overnight loans between banks, on Dec. 19.• By 1981 the federal government was running a deficit.• Model cities stressed local planning flexibility and the coordination of federal grant programs.• Most people want to see new federal gun laws introduced.• Medicaid is a large federal health care program for the poor.• federal income tax• The number of state and federal inmates rose by 89,707, which was the largest annual increase in history.• It is against federal law to discriminate against someone because of religion.• Besides, the boundaries of the leprosarium were permeable, and surveillance at the federal level was almost nonexistent.• Several federal officials have been charged with corruption.• The Federal Republic of Germany was the official name of West Germany.Origin federal (1600-1700) Latin foedus “formal agreement or joining together” 