by-election

American  

[bahy-i-lek-shuhn] / ˈbaɪ ɪˌlɛk ʃən /

Or bye-election

noun

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

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by-election British  

noun

1. (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

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

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Etymology

Origin of by-election

First recorded in 1875–80; by- + election

Example Sentences

Lord Carrington became a hereditary member of the Lords in 2018, after winning a by-election to replace a retired peer.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Last month she became the first Green Party candidate to win a parliamentary by-election.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Something similar happened in a parliamentary by-election in Britain in February, recently mentioned in this space in passing but now worth a closer look.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

It said it had observed family voting at 68% of polling stations in the constituency, compared to 12% at a recent by-election in Runcorn and Helsby.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

It was debated with anxiety at Ottawa, and made the subject of special instruction to South Fox, where the by-election would have all the importance of an early test.

From The Imperialist by Duncan, Sara Jeannette