delegate

American  

[del-i-git, -geyt, del-i-geyt] / ˈdɛl ɪ gɪt, -ˌgeɪt, ˈdɛl ɪˌgeɪt /

noun

1. a person designated to act for or represent another or others; deputy; representative, as in a political convention.

2. (formerly) the representative of a Territory in the U.S. House of Representatives.

3. a member of the lower house of the state legislature of Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia.

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verb (used with object)

delegated, delegating

1. to send or appoint (a person) as deputy or representative.

2. to commit (powers, functions, etc.) to another as agent or deputy.

   Synonyms:

   transfer, assign, entrust

delegate British  

/ ˈdɛlɪɡəbəl /

noun

1. a person chosen or elected to act for or represent another or others, esp at a conference or meeting

2. government a representative of a territory in the US House of Representatives

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verb

1. to give or commit (duties, powers, etc) to another as agent or representative; depute

2. (tr) to send, authorize, or elect (a person) as agent or representative

3. (tr) to assign (a person owing a debt to oneself) to one's creditor in substitution for oneself

Other Word Forms

• delegable adjective
• delegatee noun
• delegator noun
• nondelegate noun
• predelegate noun
• redelegate verb (used with object)
• subdelegate noun
• undelegated adjective

Etymology

Origin of delegate

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (past participle) delegat, from Medieval Latin dēlēgātus, noun use of past participle of dēlēgāre “to assign,” equivalent to dē- de- + lēgātus “deputed”; legate

Example Sentences

Naphat, 29, was expelled from the Games in December for "using unauthorised third-party software or hardware modification" during the Arena of Valor competition, a letter from a SEA Games delegate said at the time.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Buffett, along with former vice chairman Charlie Munger, preferred to delegate managerial responsibilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

“When you go from assistant coach to head coach, you have to take a few steps back. But you need to make sure you delegate to competent people,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

You hire them to delegate your investment decisions — not to beat market averages.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 26, 2026

Another source was Elias Boudinot, a delegate from New Jersey to the Continental Congress who went into the army as a colonel and became superintendent of British prisoners of war.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

Related Words

• commissioner
• deputy
• envoy
• member
• minister
• nominee
• senator