A statute is a law made by a legislativerelated to a group that makes and passes laws body. It can also describe something that has been formallyin an official or proper way enactedput into force by official legal action by law, as in statute law.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˈstætʃuːt/
Easy pronunciation: STAT-choot (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the first syllable: STAT-choot.
Noun meaning a law officially passed by a legislature.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Statute Meaning
a law officially passed by a parliament, congress, or similar lawmaking body
Part of speech: noun
Definition: an act passed by a legislative body
Example: The new statute limits how much rent landlords can raise.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- legislative act — A direct legal substitute for a statute as a law passed by a legislature.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Statute
Meaning 2
officially created or approved by law
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: enacted by a legislative body
Example: statute law
Synonyms for this meaning:
- codified — Works in legal contexts where the meaning is 'put into a formal legal code,' but it is not a general synonym in everyday use.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Statute Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- legislative act
adjective: enacted by a legislative body
- codified
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- People sometimes use statute to mean any law in general, but it usually refers to a law formally passed by a legislature.
- Do not confuse statute with statutory, which is the adjective form commonly used to describe things based on a statute.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does statute mean?
A statute is a law passed by a legislative body such as a parliament or congress.
What is a simple synonym for statute?
A practical synonym is legislative act, especially in legal writing.
Is statute the same as law?
Not exactly. A statute is one specific type of law: one that has been formally enacted by a legislature.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.