delegation
Americannoun
-
delegations
plural
-
a group or body of delegates.
Our club sent a delegation to the rally.
-
the body of delegates chosen to represent a political unit, as a state, in an assembly.
the New Jersey delegation in Congress.
- Synonyms:
- commission
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the act of delegating.
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the state of being delegated.
noun
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a person or group chosen to represent another or others
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the act of delegating or state of being delegated
-
politics all the members of Congress from one state
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of delegation
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin dēlēgātiōn-, stem of dēlēgātiō “assignment, appointment,” equivalent to dēlēgāt(us) “assigned, appointed” ( see delegate) + -iō -ion
Explanation
A delegation is a group of people who act as representatives of a larger group. If you’re a member of Congress from the Sunshine State, you’re a member of the Florida delegation. Ever seen the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games? Each country's delegation enters the stadium as a group, marching behind its own flag. Some delegations are a few hundred people, some are only a few, but each delegation is made up of the athletes and coaches sent to represent their country. You can also use delegation to mean assigning something to someone. While you're in the Amazon, you'll need to arrange with your roommates for delegation of your bill-paying duties.
Vocabulary lists containing delegation
Flowers for Algernon
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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Bill Withers (1938–2020) Tribute List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Justice Department sought to address the 9th Circuit ruling through a revised delegation of authority expressly excluding certain powers reserved for a U.S. attorney.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, flew to Tehran on Tuesday followed by a delegation of Qatari diplomats in an effort to break the deadlock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The organising committee had initially arranged accommodation for up to 15,000 delegation members "in accordance with the host city contract", Omi told the BBC.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Kao, Hartman and other Navatek executives approached the offices of Graham, Clyburn and Wilson — all powerful members of the South Carolina delegation — in the beginning of 2019.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
The underground executive asked me to lead the ANC delegation to the conference.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
He learns that members of the Swedish and American delegations are not primarily academics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Accommodation manager Yuta Matsuo told Reuters the hosts were "fully aware of the dissatisfaction and concerns voiced by the athlete delegations".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Israel has stepped up its attacks in southern Lebanon after weeks of relative calm, as delegations from both countries finished another round of U.S.-brokered talks exploring a diplomatic solution to years of fighting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said there were no discussions taking place and that the country had no plans to either host or send delegations.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Members of various delegations of veterans gather near the Wall before heading to the memorial for its dedication, 1982.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
