general election


noun
  1. U.S. Politics.

    • a regularly scheduled local, state, or national election in which voters elect officeholders.: Compare primary (def. 15).

    • a state or national election, as opposed to a local election.

  2. British. an election, which must be held at any time within five years of the last election, in which constituents elect members of the House of Commons.

Origin of general election

1
An Americanism dating back to 1710–20

Words Nearby general election

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use general election in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for general election

general election

noun
  1. an election in which representatives are chosen in all constituencies of a state

  2. US a final election from which successful candidates are sent to a legislative body: Compare primary

  1. US and Canadian (in the US) a national or state election or (in Canada) a federal or provincial election in contrast to a local election

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012