elect
verb (used with object)
to choose or select by vote, as for an office.
elect
1 American
[ih-lekt]
/ ɪˈlɛkt /
verb (used with object)
-
elects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
elected,
past participle, past
-
electing
present participle
-
to choose or select by vote, as for an office.
to elect a mayor.
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to determine in favor of (a method, course of action, etc.).
-
to pick out; choose.
First-year students may elect French, Spanish, or German.
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Theology. (of God) to select for divine mercy or favor, especially for salvation.
verb (used without object)
-
elects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
elected,
past participle, past
-
electing
present participle
adjective
-
selected, as for an office, but not yet inducted (usually used in combination following a noun).
the governor-elect.
-
select or choice.
an elect circle of artists.
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Theology. chosen by God, especially for eternal life.
noun
-
a person or the persons chosen or worthy to be chosen.
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Theology. a person or persons chosen by God, especially for favor or salvation.
elect.
2
American
Or
elec
abbreviation
-
electric.
-
electrical.
-
electrician.
-
electricity.
elect
British
/ ɪˈlɛkt /
verb
-
(tr) to choose (someone) to be (a representative or a public official) by voting
they elected him Mayor
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to select; choose
to elect to die rather than surrender
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(tr) (of God) to select or predestine for the grace of salvation
adjective
-
(immediately postpositive) voted into office but not yet installed
the president elect
-
-
chosen or choice; selected or elite
-
( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the elect
-
-
Christianity
-
selected or predestined by God to receive salvation; chosen
-
( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the elect
-
Synonym Usage
See choose.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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electabilitynoun
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electeenoun
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nonelectnoun
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preelectverb (used with object)
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reelectverb (used with object)
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electableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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electsimple
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electssimple
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have electedperfect
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has electedperfect
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am electingprogressive
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are electingprogressive
-
is electingprogressive
-
have been electingperfect progressive
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has been electingperfect progressive
Past
-
electedsimple
-
had electedperfect
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was electingprogressive
-
were electingprogressive
-
had been electingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing elect
Election Lingo
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Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting
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Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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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:
In November, voters in 26 states will elect a secretary of state, choosing the officials who will oversee the 2028 presidential race throughout most of the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
On November 9, they will appear before the ILO's governing body, which will then elect the new leader by secret ballot on November 16.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
On Nov. 3, voters will elect members of the House of Representatives and Senate.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
That will remain an issue whether he remains at Chelsea or Manchester City elect to revive their interest and attempt to reunite him with his former manager Enzo Maresca before deadline day on 1 September.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Instead, she said, “I’m working on the campaign to elect Shirley Chisholm to be the first black congresswoman.”
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
“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
He also chaired the committee that elects McKinsey’s senior partners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Each region elects seven members using a form of proportional representation.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
“It is incredible, Monsieur. All the world elects to travel tonight!”
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
"We should have a model where we have broader people elected to it who can feed in all those issues into a Yorkshire-wide parliament. That, to me, is only a good thing," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
That’s part of what being an elected representative means.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
He was elected to the House in 1986 and in 1994 won a seat in the Senate, where he served until 2013.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Look at anyone who holds high elected office.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Within months, he had been elected to the Congress of People's Deputies as a leading figure of the movement for democracy in Russia.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
In 2026, your mother can contribute up to $95,000 in one go by electing to front-load five years of annual gift-tax exclusions.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
They were also electing 226 seats in parliament.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 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
The process of electing a president is seen as the most democratic way for its members to have a say in how the club is governed and how its strategy for the future should work.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Also in 1915, blacks played a decisive role in electing the mayor, Republican William Thompson.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
