How to Use federal in a Sentence

federal

adjective
  • The ruling was overturned by a federal appeals court.
  • We pay federal, state, and local taxes.
  • Keep in mind, that is just the federal gas tax.
    — Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 8 June 2026
  • The city says its rules might change if the federal rules change.
    — Jen Fifield, The Arizona Republic, 19 Nov. 2021
  • How much is the federal gas tax?
    — Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 8 June 2026
  • But here’s the thing about cops, local, state or federal.
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
  • When federal agents start patrolling my own streets?
    — Lauren Grodstein, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2025
  • But a federal judge said the family had a right to the video.
    — Amy Hubbard, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2022
  • Congress can add rules for federal races.
    — Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Now the same script is playing out on the federal level.
    — Nashville Tennessean, 20 Oct. 2025
  • At the federal level, those changes were far outweighed by the rate cut.
    — Richard Rubin, WSJ, 5 Mar. 2018
  • Costs for the project will be shared between federal, state and local funds.
    — Chabeli Herrera, miamiherald, 8 July 2018
  • Two or three times a week, federal agents would show up at his restaurant for breakfast.
    — Wendi C. Thomas, ProPublica, 15 Apr. 2026
  • The charges could lead to a federal prison sentence of up to 45 years.
    — Nathaniel Percy, Daily News, 8 June 2026
  • Many of those services depend in part on federal grants.
    — Monique B. Jones, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.
    — ProPublica, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Gendron has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
    — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 15 June 2026
  • The state and federal courts have yet to make final rulings in those cases.
    — From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2022
  • Paradis has pleaded guilty to one count of bribery in the federal probe of the legal scheme.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023
  • Now the 72-year-old will spend two years in federal prison and was ordered to pay it all back.
    — Jen Guadarrama, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Feb. 2023
  • That’s not to say that any federal charges are expected to end with hackers in prison.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2017
  • Watkins said his office had to file a federal lawsuit to force its release.
    — Ash-Har Quraishi, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
  • The federal government could step in with its own plan if the states fail to reach an agreement.
    — Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 21 July 2022
  • Congress ended the federal freeze on gun research a few years ago.
    — Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Those are just the federal lands that are open to you, your family, and your neighbors.
    — Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 4 July 2024
  • The task force is made up of federal, state, and local law enforcement.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 4 May 2024
  • The president cannot suspend the federal tax on his own.
    — Matthew Daly, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
  • This is not how federal grant policy is supposed to work.
    — Monique B. Jones, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Huizar could face up to 30 years in federal prison if convicted on all charges.
    — CBS News, 30 July 2020
  • The suit asks a federal judge to halt the grants altogether.
    — Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'federal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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