delegation
Americannoun
-
delegations
plural
-
a group or body of delegates.
Our club sent a delegation to the rally.
-
the body of delegates chosen to represent a political unit, as a state, in an assembly.
the New Jersey delegation in Congress.
- Synonyms:
- commission
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the act of delegating.
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the state of being delegated.
noun
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a person or group chosen to represent another or others
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the act of delegating or state of being delegated
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politics all the members of Congress from one state
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of delegation
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin dēlēgātiōn-, stem of dēlēgātiō “assignment, appointment,” equivalent to dēlēgāt(us) “assigned, appointed” ( see delegate) + -iō -ion
Explanation
A delegation is a group of people who act as representatives of a larger group. If you’re a member of Congress from the Sunshine State, you’re a member of the Florida delegation. Ever seen the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games? Each country's delegation enters the stadium as a group, marching behind its own flag. Some delegations are a few hundred people, some are only a few, but each delegation is made up of the athletes and coaches sent to represent their country. You can also use delegation to mean assigning something to someone. While you're in the Amazon, you'll need to arrange with your roommates for delegation of your bill-paying duties.
Vocabulary lists containing delegation
Flowers for Algernon
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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Bill Withers (1938–2020) Tribute List
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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.
See Examples For:
Identifying how far this delegation of authority extends calls for the exercise of judgment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
There was no immediate comment from the US, whose delegation walked out of the chamber at the start of Pezeshkian's address.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
He said that in his 25 years of working with Collins and the Maine delegation, “I never saw or heard of such behavior from the Senator or her staff.”
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
The State Department restricts the delegation to traveling only between the airport, their hotel and the U.N. headquarters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
This was Adams’s apparently impulsive decision, announced on February 18, 1799, to send another peace delegation to France.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said there were no discussions taking place and that the country had no plans to either host or send delegations.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
As the chief negotiator for Hamas, Hayya gained international prominence by leading the group's delegations at indirect ceasefire talks, meeting mediators in Egypt and Qatar.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
It does so clearly enough to pass the stringent test for permissible delegations that the Supreme Court has spelled out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Together he and Clinton cofounded and cochaired the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, traveled abroad together on congressional delegations, and partnered on climate policy and healthcare initiatives.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
First, he insisted on including Elbridge Gerry in the peace delegations to France.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
