relegate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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to consign or commit (a matter, task, etc.), as to a person.
He relegates the less pleasant tasks to his assistant.
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to assign or refer (something) to a particular class or kind.
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to send into exile; banish.
verb
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to move to a position of less authority, importance, etc; demote
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(usually passive) to demote (a football team, etc) to a lower division
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to assign or refer (a matter) to another or others, as for action or decision
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(foll by to) to banish or exile
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to assign (something) to a particular group or category
Other Word Forms
- relegable adjective
- relegatable adjective
- relegation noun
- unrelegable adjective
Etymology
Origin of relegate
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English from Latin relēgātus, past participle of relēgāre “to send away, dispatch”; 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
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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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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.
"And the US threatens to relegate the organisation to even greater irrelevance if it doesn't get what it wants," she told AFP.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
They would rather relegate Robyn to “cringe” status.
From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026
If it were down to me, though, I would relegate Wolves now and just chop them out of the league.
From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025
In recent days, Musk has reiterated his Sci-Fi Socialism ideals that AI and robots will relegate work to being optional.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025
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.
