An informal, gender-neutral collective term for members of the US Congress — covering both representatives and senators regardless of gender.
An informal, gender-neutral collective term for members of the US Congress — covering both representatives and senators regardless of gender. It's part of the broader shift away from gendered defaults like congressmen, offering a more inclusive alternative without the formality of congresspersons or the awkward plurality of congressmen and congresswomen. Often turns up in political commentary, journalism, and casual political conversation.
Half the congressfolk in that committee had received donations from the very industry they were supposed to be regulating.
Congressfolk means: An informal, gender-neutral collective term for members of the US Congress - covering both representatives and senators regardless of gender. It's part of the broader shift away from gendered. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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An American informal gender-neutral plural for members of Congress, combining 'congress' with 'folks' instead of the gendered 'congressmen' or the clunkier 'congresspeople'. It has the easy, populist register of someone deliberately avoiding formal or gendered language, typically encountered in casual political commentary or journalism.
A gender-neutral American English term for a member of Congress, particularly a member of the House of Representatives. It emerged as an alternative to the gendered 'congressman' or 'congresswoman' and is widely used in contemporary journalism, political communication, and official contexts.
(US, informal) congressmen and congresswomen.
A member of congress.
Congressfolk means: An informal, gender-neutral collective term for members of the US Congress - covering both representatives and senators regardless of gender. It's part of the broader shift away from gendered. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
congressfolk means: An informal, gender-neutral collective term for members of the US Congress - covering both representatives and senators regardless of gender. It's part of the broader shift away. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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(US, informal) congressmen and congresswomen.
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