relegate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to send or consign to an inferior position, place, or condition.
He has been relegated to a post at the fringes of the diplomatic service.
-
to consign or commit (a matter, task, etc.), as to a person.
He relegates the less pleasant tasks to his assistant.
-
to assign or refer (something) to a particular class or kind.
-
to send into exile; banish.
verb
-
to move to a position of less authority, importance, etc; demote
-
(usually passive) to demote (a football team, etc) to a lower division
-
to assign or refer (a matter) to another or others, as for action or decision
-
(foll by to) to banish or exile
-
to assign (something) to a particular group or category
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have relegatedperfect
-
has relegatedperfect 3rd person singular
-
am relegatingprogressive 1st person singular
-
are relegatingprogressive
-
have been relegatingperfect progressive
-
is relegatingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
relegatessingular 3rd person
-
relegatingparticiple
-
has been relegatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
-
had relegatedperfect
-
were relegatingprogressive plural
-
had been relegatingperfect progressive
-
was relegatingprogressive singular
-
relegatedparticiple
-
relegatedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of relegate
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English from Latin relēgātus, past participle of relēgāre “to send away, dispatch”; see re-, legate
Explanation
Relegate means "to assign to a lower position." If the quarterback of the football team stops making decent throws, he might be relegated to the position of benchwarmer. Relegate rhymes with delegate — both words derive from the Latin legare, "to send." Relegate means to send someone down in rank. Delegate means to send someone in your place to complete a task. In the workplace, managers who can't figure out how to delegate may get relegated to a lesser rank.
Vocabulary lists containing relegate
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
“The U.S. now accepts China as a strategic rival and peer versus a country they can try to relegate and control.”
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
This means we relegate ourselves to relying on the goodwill of physicians like Craven and piecemeal grant funding to uncover new uses and facilitate their adoption.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Before the show, the singer told the Jerusalem Post he was determined to concentrate on the music and relegate any criticisms to "background noise".
From BBC • May 12, 2026
They would rather relegate Robyn to “cringe” status.
From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026
Aditya looked reproachful in these later sketches, his eyes beckoning the artist to stay with him for just a while longer, to not forget, to not relegate him to these empty pages.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
Definitions 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.
