Making laws
unanimous consent
Doing business by universal agreement instead of votes. Most Senate floor action happens this way, which is why a single objecting senator has real power.
In full
Both chambers save enormous time by setting aside their formal rules whenever no member objects. The Senate runs almost entirely on unanimous consent agreements that schedule debate and votes; a single senator's objection ('reserving the right to object') blocks the shortcut and forces the chamber through its slow formal procedures. A 'hold' is a senator privately signaling they will object.
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Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.