From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsenatesen‧ate, Senate /ˈsenət/ ●○○ noun 1 PGP a) the Senate the smaller and more important of the two parts of the government with the power to make laws, in countries such as the US, Australia, and France The Senate approved the bill. b) [countable] a similar part of the government in many US states the California state senate2 → the Senate3 [countable]SEC the governing council at some universities
Examples from the Corpus
senate• The first would be to create an appointed senate, which would allow Khmer Rouge leaders to be given an official role.• Each delegate prepares a bill or a resolution for the mock senate to vote on.• The Florida Legislature: Both the state senate and house of representatives have Republican majorities.• My old friend Roberta Fox won his seat in the state senate.• Three years as a legislative liaison, six years in the state senate, four tedious years as lieutenant governor.• Brodsky insisted that the state senate could vote on the measure in special session if it wished.• Uslar stood for the senate in 1959 on the leftwing Democratic Republican Union ticket.• The senate is the opposition's counterweight to the new president.From Longman Business DictionarySenateSen‧ate /ˈsenət/ noun [singular] in the US and some other countries, the upper part of the two parts of government with the power to make lawsOrigin senate (1100-1200) Old French senat, from Latin senatus, from senex “old man” 