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:
"Even one loss of life is one too many," said Reinhold Lopatka, head of the European Parliament's election observers' delegation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a veteran of the Marines, wants a bipartisan delegation to visit the Lincoln.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
A US delegation led by then-acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who has since been confirmed to the post, attended the inauguration.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The U.S. said it would send a large delegation to the inauguration, including acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and a range of senior drug policy officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
A delegation of members asked me if I had anything to do with Young’s charges.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
He said the regime has no current plans to send or host delegations.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 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
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
Santa Monica officials have already signed deals with national delegations from France, Switzerland and England to host hospitality events there during the Games, and they are hoping to land more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
I wrote newspaper articles, led parades and relief delegations, and so on.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
