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• elect
  elect

  verb (used with object)

  to choose or select by vote, as for an office.
• elect.
  elect.

  abbreviation

  electric.

elect

¹ American  

[ih-lekt] / ɪˈlɛkt /

verb (used with object)

• elects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• elected,
  past participle,  past
• electing
  present participle

1. to choose or select by vote, as for an office.

   to elect a mayor.

2. to determine in favor of (a method, course of action, etc.).

3. to pick out; choose.

   First-year students may elect French, Spanish, or German.

4. Theology. (of God) to select for divine mercy or favor, especially for salvation.

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verb (used without object)

• elects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• elected,
  past participle,  past
• electing
  present participle

1. to choose or select someone or something, as by voting.

adjective

1. selected, as for an office, but not yet inducted (usually used in combination following a noun).

   the governor-elect.

2. select or choice.

   an elect circle of artists.

3. Theology. chosen by God, especially for eternal life.

noun

1. a person or the persons chosen or worthy to be chosen.

2. Theology. a person or persons chosen by God, especially for favor or salvation.

elect. ² American  

Or elec

abbreviation

1. electric.

2. electrical.

3. electrician.

4. electricity.

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elect British  

/ ɪˈlɛkt /

verb

1. (tr) to choose (someone) to be (a representative or a public official) by voting

   they elected him Mayor

2. to select; choose

   to elect to die rather than surrender

3. (tr) (of God) to select or predestine for the grace of salvation

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adjective

1. (immediately postpositive) voted into office but not yet installed

   the president elect

2. 1. chosen or choice; selected or elite

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the elect

3. Christianity

   1. selected or predestined by God to receive salvation; chosen

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the elect

Synonym Usage

See choose.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• electability
  noun
• electee
  noun
• nonelect
  noun
• preelect
  verb (used with object)
• reelect
  verb (used with object)
• electable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• electing
  present
• elected
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• elect
  simple
• elects
  simple
• have elected
  perfect
• has elected
  perfect
• am electing
  progressive
• are electing
  progressive
• is electing
  progressive
• have been electing
  perfect progressive
• has been electing
  perfect progressive

Past

• elected
  simple
• had elected
  perfect
• was electing
  progressive
• were electing
  progressive
• had been electing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will elect
  simple
• will have elected
  perfect
• will be electing
  progressive
• will have been electing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of elect

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin ēlēctus “chosen” (past participle of ēligere ), equivalent to ē- “out of, from” + leg- “choose” + -tus past participle suffix; see e- ¹, elite

Explanation

To elect is to choose. A group of citizens may elect the next president, or you may just elect to stay home during the blizzard. Most famously, in the political sense, elect means to choose a person for public office, usually via an election. It also means to choose a particular course in life of major consequence. You probably don't elect to drink Pepsi over Coke, but you do elect to study a particular major at college, or sign up for military service.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elect elect. elects elected electing

Again, she likely has 60 days to elect COBRA, and once she pays the required premiums, her coverage can be applied retroactively to when her employer coverage ended.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

The portal will allow customers to elect to receive their payment via Zelle, Venmo, PayPal or a physical check.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Mayor Zohran Mamdani was riding high earlier this summer after fulfilling a campaign pledge to tax the wealthy, helping elect three progressive congressional candidates and handing the victorious Knicks the keys to the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday are expected to elect former supreme court chief Andras Baka, who was fired under ex-premier Viktor Orban, as the country's next head of state.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

“I am going to formally organize them into a union. They will elect their own representatives.”

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

“Listen to me. Please don’t forget, laws don’t just happen to you. Laws are made and they’re made by the people you elect. So you have a voice, exercise it.”

From Washington Times ● Apr. 7, 2016

In fact, for 36 of the last 44 years, City Hall has been occupied by four men whom Mr. Garth helped elect. is the fourth.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2010

Spenser. dim. diminutive. opp. opposed. subj. subjunctive. dub. doubtful. opt. optics. suff. suffix. eccles. ecclesiastical history. orig. originally. superl. superlative. e.g. for example. ornith. ornithology. surg. surgery. elect. electricity.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Agnes Forsthoffer, the speaker of parliament, is temporarily serving as head of state until parliament elects a new president.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Each Texas county elects its own slate of local officials, which is why state law requires voters to register where they live.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

Maybe Congress can find the will to live like the country that elects it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Electors are part of the 538-member Electoral College that officially elects presidents, based on the state-by-state results of the general election.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025

The Gathering elects Runners, and if you think I’m tough, they’d laugh in your face.”

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

The public ultimately expects journalists, scholars and elected officials to behave ethically.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

It comes at a time when federal investigators are continuing to probe the ways the Chinese government has made inroads into local governments and with elected officials across Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

The removal of Jose Gabriel Espinoza comes as Bolivia suffers through its worst economic turbulence in four decades, which the center-right Paz, elected last year, is under pressure to fix.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

Until someone or something wins out, though, states, utilities, and elected officials remain unprepared for the worst.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

In 1888, his father, Robert Emmett White, was elected sheriff of Travis County, Texas, which included Austin, then a city of fewer than fifteen thousand people.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Their analysis found that every method for electing a national legislature involves compromises, usually among local representation, national proportionality, and the total number of parliamentary seats.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

"They got a big win electing Mamdani mayor of New York City, but also, it's New York City," said Adrian Hemond, a political strategist in Michigan.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

The endorsement may come with some financial support, with the group saying it has raised some $25 million to fund its goal of electing more doctors and nurses to office between now and 2030.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

In her video, Michelle Bolsonaro recalled how she had built up the women's wing "from scratch", electing over a thousand female leaders, and helping "reduce rejection" of some male candidates.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

About twenty women met and formed the Mothers’ Club, electing a young mother named Joyce Thorpe president of the group.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• accept
• admit
• appoint
• conclude
• designate
• determine
• name
• nominate
• pick
• receive
• resolve
• take
• vote
• vote for