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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

Other options include the additional member system, a hybrid model that combines first-past-the-post with regional party lists that is used to elect members of the Scottish Parliament.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Of course I’m talking about Fat Bear Week, the annual event in which people elect — well, yes, the fattest bear.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

He told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he hopes Mr. Obama will join him on the trail: “His presence here in Michigan would mean so much to the coalition that helped elect him.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

“If you want to elect someone knowing they have someone that’s connected, it’s the voters’ choice,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

That afternoon Shirley embarked on a campaign among the girls to elect Emily.

From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord

“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

The second person takes the shares out in kind and elects net unrealized appreciation treatment.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 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

The Fed’s rate-setting body, the Federal Open Market Committee, elects its own chair every year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

Should Netflix win the fight over WBD and the DOJ elects to challenge it, a courtroom will hear much about video on demand by other suppliers.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026

“It is incredible, Monsieur. All the world elects to travel tonight!”

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

The Palestinian Islamist movement elected a new leader, Khalil al-Hayya, in July.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

He said the sanctions were needed to protect security personnel and elected officials from prosecution by a court the United States has never joined.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Williams, who was first elected to the board in 1996, was facing a reelection campaign in March 2024.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

At that point Ceferin, who was initially elected in 2016, was embroiled in a row over Uefa changing its statutes to allow him to serve for a fourth term.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

After Washington was elected president, he moved to New York, the nation’s temporary capital, arriving in April 1789.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Thad Kousser, a UC-San Diego political science professor, said that electing election skeptics to office doesn’t necessarily mean that they will throw a wrench into the process.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

While the presidential election is in the spotlight, Brazil's nearly 160 million registered voters are also electing lawmakers, governors, and some senators.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

If the stock trades at $80, that means electing it only on lots with a basis of $16 or less.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

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

One morning in Mirebalais, they both skipped church, electing instead to watch the heavy downpour from Père Lafontant’s empty rectory.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

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