by-election

or bye-e·lec·tion

[ bahy-i-lek-shuhn ]

/ ˈbaɪ ɪˌlɛk ʃən /

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noun

a special election, not held at the time of a general election, to fill a vacancy in Parliament.

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Origin of by-election

First recorded in 1875–80; by- + election

Words nearby by-election

Bydgoszcz, by dint of, bye, bye-bye, bye-byes, by-election, Byelgorod-Dnestrovski, Byelorussia, Byelorussian, Byelostok, Byelovo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use by-election in a sentence

Suu Kyi herself fought a by-election last April; she and dozens of her party colleagues were elected in remarkably fair elections.
Burma’s Spring Turns Deadly as Riots Shake the Town of Meiktila|Peter Popham|March 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The UK Conservatives finished a humiliating third in a by-election yesterday.
A Bad Night for British Conservatives|David Frum|March 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
George Galloway has returned to Parliament, winning a by-election in Bradford, Yorkshire.
Galloway and Bradford Deserve Each Other|David Frum|March 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Serjeant Glynn, well known as the advocate of Wilkes, was afterwards elected as second member for Middlesex at a by-election.
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)|Edward Gibbon

It would mean a by-election in Bethnal Green, where he comes from.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, February 11, 1914|Various
In 1903 he was defeated as Liberal candidate for parliament at a by-election at Rochester.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various
A little later I was to speak somewhere in the North of England at a by-election in support of the party candidate.
Simon the Jester|William J. Locke
To my great relief the Wymington committee have adopted Dale as their candidate at the by-election.
Simon the Jester|William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for by-election

by-election

bye-election

noun

(in the United Kingdom and other countries of the Commonwealth) an election held during the life of a parliament to fill a vacant seat in the lower chamber

(in the US) a special election to fill a vacant elective position with an unexpired term

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