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• elect
  elect

  verb (used with object)

  to choose or select by vote, as for an office.
• elect.
  elect.

  abbreviation

  electric.

elect

¹ American  

[ih-lekt] / ɪˈlɛkt /

verb (used with object)

• elects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• elected,
  past participle,  past
• electing
  present participle

1. to choose or select by vote, as for an office.

   to elect a mayor.

2. to determine in favor of (a method, course of action, etc.).

3. to pick out; choose.

   First-year students may elect French, Spanish, or German.

4. Theology. (of God) to select for divine mercy or favor, especially for salvation.

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verb (used without object)

• elects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• elected,
  past participle,  past
• electing
  present participle

1. to choose or select someone or something, as by voting.

adjective

1. selected, as for an office, but not yet inducted (usually used in combination following a noun).

   the governor-elect.

2. select or choice.

   an elect circle of artists.

3. Theology. chosen by God, especially for eternal life.

noun

1. a person or the persons chosen or worthy to be chosen.

2. Theology. a person or persons chosen by God, especially for favor or salvation.

elect. ² American  

Or elec

abbreviation

1. electric.

2. electrical.

3. electrician.

4. electricity.

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elect British  

/ ɪˈlɛkt /

verb

1. (tr) to choose (someone) to be (a representative or a public official) by voting

   they elected him Mayor

2. to select; choose

   to elect to die rather than surrender

3. (tr) (of God) to select or predestine for the grace of salvation

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adjective

1. (immediately postpositive) voted into office but not yet installed

   the president elect

2. 1. chosen or choice; selected or elite

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the elect

3. Christianity

   1. selected or predestined by God to receive salvation; chosen

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the elect

Synonym Usage

See choose.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• electability
  noun
• electee
  noun
• nonelect
  noun
• preelect
  verb (used with object)
• reelect
  verb (used with object)
• electable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• electing
  present
• elected
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• elect
  simple
• elects
  simple
• have elected
  perfect
• has elected
  perfect
• am electing
  progressive
• are electing
  progressive
• is electing
  progressive
• have been electing
  perfect progressive
• has been electing
  perfect progressive

Past

• elected
  simple
• had elected
  perfect
• was electing
  progressive
• were electing
  progressive
• had been electing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will elect
  simple
• will have elected
  perfect
• will be electing
  progressive
• will have been electing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of elect

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin ēlēctus “chosen” (past participle of ēligere ), equivalent to ē- “out of, from” + leg- “choose” + -tus past participle suffix; see e- ¹, elite

Explanation

To elect is to choose. A group of citizens may elect the next president, or you may just elect to stay home during the blizzard. Most famously, in the political sense, elect means to choose a person for public office, usually via an election. It also means to choose a particular course in life of major consequence. You probably don't elect to drink Pepsi over Coke, but you do elect to study a particular major at college, or sign up for military service.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elect elect. elects elected electing

Saturday's incident came two months before voters in Berlin elect a new state assembly.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

"I believe in the democratic tradition of electing local authorities and for those authorities to be accountable to the people that elect them," he added.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

All you have to do is elect us.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

In the coming days, all 16 counties will hold meetings to elect a number of delegates based on that county’s 2024 primary turnout.

From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026

The federally guaranteed right to vote gave them the opportunity to elect officials who would protect all the other basic rights guaranteed by federal law and the Constitution.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

“Listen to me. Please don’t forget, laws don’t just happen to you. Laws are made and they’re made by the people you elect. So you have a voice, exercise it.”

From Washington Times ● Apr. 7, 2016

In fact, for 36 of the last 44 years, City Hall has been occupied by four men whom Mr. Garth helped elect. is the fourth.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2010

Spenser. dim. diminutive. opp. opposed. subj. subjunctive. dub. doubtful. opt. optics. suff. suffix. eccles. ecclesiastical history. orig. originally. superl. superlative. e.g. for example. ornith. ornithology. surg. surgery. elect. electricity.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Agnes Forsthoffer, the speaker of parliament, is temporarily serving as head of state until parliament elects a new president.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Each Texas county elects its own slate of local officials, which is why state law requires voters to register where they live.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

Maybe Congress can find the will to live like the country that elects it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Each region elects seven members using a form of proportional representation.

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026

Manny wins the coin toss and elects to receive.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

Pearson says Colossus I, the name of SpaceXAI boss Elon Musk's first mega AI supercomputer facility is "a textbook case of what it looks like when elected officials make promises about economic mobility."

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

If elected, Becerra has said he would declare California’s housing shortage a state of emergency and direct his administration to identify ways to reduce the cost of building.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

In the same way that the reason why you’re seeing larger numbers of elected officials talk about regulating data centers is because they are reading the public temperature.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

U.S.-backed talks began this month between members of the regime’s National Assembly and some members of the 2015 National Assembly, the last legitimately elected legislature.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

“And were you told that my great-grandfather was its governor? That he was elected in honor of the vast donation he made to the city?”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Their analysis found that every method for electing a national legislature involves compromises, usually among local representation, national proportionality, and the total number of parliamentary seats.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

"I believe in the democratic tradition of electing local authorities and for those authorities to be accountable to the people that elect them," he added.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

The endorsement may come with some financial support, with the group saying it has raised some $25 million to fund its goal of electing more doctors and nurses to office between now and 2030.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

All of the candidates are Latino, as the district now largely is too, meaning it will have new representation after decades of electing Black council members since 1963.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

“I can not shoulder the responsibility of electing officers who publicly repudiate the principles of the society,” Foster said.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Related Words

• accept
• admit
• appoint
• conclude
• designate
• determine
• name
• nominate
• pick
• receive
• resolve
• take
• vote
• vote for