delegate

[ noun del-i-git, -geyt; verb del-i-geyt ]

See synonyms for: delegate delegated delegates delegating on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person designated to act for or represent another or others; deputy; representative, as in a political convention.
(formerly) the representative of a Territory in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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

verb (used with object),del·e·gat·ed, del·e·gat·ing.

to send or appoint (a person) as deputy or representative.
to commit (powers, functions, etc.) to another as agent or deputy.

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”; see legate

Other words for delegate

5	entrust, assign, transfer

See synonyms for delegate on Thesaurus.com

Other words from delegate

del·e·ga·tee [del-i-guh-tee], /ˌdɛl ɪ gəˈti/, noun
del·e·ga·tor [del-i-gey-ter], /ˈdɛl ɪˌgeɪ tər/, noun
non·del·e·gate, noun
pre·del·e·gate, noun, verb, pre·del·e·gat·ed, pre·del·e·gat·ing.
re·del·e·gate, verb (used with object), re·del·e·gat·ed, re·del·e·gat·ing.
sub·del·e·gate, noun
sub·del·e·gate, verb (used with object), sub·del·e·gat·ed, sub·del·e·gat·ing.
un·del·e·gat·ed, adjective

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

How to use delegate in a sentence

Concerns about Chase's prospects — and Youngkin's — fed into a bitter debate over the past seven weeks about whether the party should pick its nominee at a convention, open only to party-nominated delegates, or a primary, open to all voters.
Former Carlyle executive Glenn Youngkin joins race for Virginia governor | Laura Vozzella | January 27, 2021 | Washington Post
If no agreement is reached by Wednesday night and the district moves to sanction teachers for not returning to teach in-person classes, union delegates could hold a strike vote.
Chicago Public Schools suspends in-person learning as possible teachers strike looms | Dawn Reiss, Kim Bellware | January 27, 2021 | Washington Post
That will leave the more than 100 union groups that are part of the Labor Council, and their delegates, to elect a new leader in the early part of the year.
Politics Report: Recall Push Not Dismissed | Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts | December 19, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
About two-thirds of the group’s delegates have conducted research on cannabis, he said.
Medical cannabis master’s program at University of Maryland sees growth since launch | Tracy Mitchell Griggs | December 18, 2020 | Washington Post
He wrote that the decision hadn’t gone through the required formal endorsement process, and it hadn’t first been voted on by the full executive board before it was voted on by the organization’s delegates.
Council President Endorsement Votes Obscure Internal Tensions | Andrew Keatts | November 25, 2020 | Voice of San Diego

British Dictionary definitions for delegate

delegate

noun(ˈdɛlɪˌɡeɪt, -ɡɪt)

a person chosen or elected to act for or represent another or others, esp at a conference or meeting
US government a representative of a territory in the US House of Representatives

verb(ˈdɛlɪˌɡeɪt)

to give or commit (duties, powers, etc) to another as agent or representative; depute
(tr) to send, authorize, or elect (a person) as agent or representative

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

Origin of delegate

C14: from Latin dēlēgāre to send on a mission, from lēgāre to send, depute; see legate

Derived forms of delegate

delegable (ˈdɛlɪɡəbəl), adjective

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

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