to choose or select by vote, as for an office.
to elect a mayor.
to determine in favor of (a method, course of action, etc.).
to pick out; choose.
First-year students may elect French, Spanish, or German.
Theology. (of God) to select for divine mercy or favor, especially for salvation.
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.
Theology. chosen by God, especially for eternal life.
a person or the persons chosen or worthy to be chosen.
Theology. a person or persons chosen by God, especially for favor or salvation.
electric.
electrical.
electrician.
electricity.
(tr) to choose (someone) to be (a representative or a public official) by voting
they elected him Mayor
to select; choose
to elect to die rather than surrender
(tr) (of God) to select or predestine for the grace of salvation
(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
See choose.
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
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Saturday's incident came two months before voters in Berlin elect a new state assembly.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
They are not the first four actors, or characters, one might elect to carry a series, but they are the right ones, and they do.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
All you have to do is elect us.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
In the coming days, all 16 counties will hold meetings to elect a number of delegates based on that county’s 2024 primary turnout.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
We decided that we should depart from tradition and elect a House Committee made up of these two groups.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
“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
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
Of course, there’s another complication: The Federal Open Market Committee, which is the central bank’s rate-setting committee, elects its own chair and vice chair each year.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
When you have a community that elects somebody repeatedly, over and over again, if they feel like that is the best person to represent them, then I think that makes sense.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2025
Decides he must be close to ocean and elects to try and work way through swamp to sea.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
He became speaker of the Florida House of Representatives at 34, before being elected to the United States Senate in 2010.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Burnham became the inaugural elected mayor for Greater Manchester in 2017 and was re-elected twice.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
It’s unlikely she’d talk about the cabinet appointment Ronald Reagan dangled in front of her as she worked tirelessly to get him elected, the cabinet appointment she never got.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Senate’s six-year terms are another check on momentary House majorities elected every two years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The nation maintains its own elected government and has twenty thousand members.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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
With permanent resident status, she said she has no say in electing officials who shape her everyday life, despite contributing taxes and caring for the elderly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 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
However, with no presidential or legislative elections since 2006, electing local councils has become one of the last remaining democratic mechanisms under the Palestinian Authority.
From Barron's ● Apr. 25, 2026
“I can not shoulder the responsibility of electing officers who publicly repudiate the principles of the society,” Foster said.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
