-
Electoral College
Electoral Collegenounnone the Electoral College or the electoral college (in the United States) a group of individuals formed anew for each general election with the express function of electing the president and vice president: made up of a proportional number of members from each state, chosen by each state’s voters from the respective slates selected by that state’s political parties and usually expected to cast their vote in favor of the candidate who won the majority in their state or district.
-
electoral college
electoral collegenoun(often capitals) a body of electors chosen by the voters who formally elect the president and vice president
Electoral College
Americannoun
-
none the Electoral College or the electoral college (in the United States) a group of individuals formed anew for each general election with the express function of electing the president and vice president: made up of a proportional number of members from each state, chosen by each state’s voters from the respective slates selected by that state’s political parties and usually expected to cast their vote in favor of the candidate who won the majority in their state or district.
-
a group of individuals whose function is to elect one or more leaders of government, as in Estonia, Nepal, and some other countries.
noun
-
(often capitals) a body of electors chosen by the voters who formally elect the president and vice president
-
any body of electors with similar functions
Usage
What is the Electoral College? The Electoral College is an indirect voting system in the United States in which electors from each state, appointed based on the popular vote, go on to vote for the president. How is Electoral College pronounced?[ ih-lek-ter-uhl kol-ij ]
Discover More
There have been several attempts to abolish the Electoral College. In the 2000 presidential election, the candidate with the plurality of popular votes lost the electoral vote, a situation that also occurred in the 1876 and 1888 elections.
Etymology
Origin of Electoral College
An Americanism first recorded in 1790–1800
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.
I’ve gone through these elections where the electoral college is very close.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
This time, quiet lulls filled the Assembly chamber as all 54 of California’s electoral college votes were cast for Harris, the first California Democrat to become a presidential nominee.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2024
It will involve a direct ballot by a 300-member electoral college made up of MPs and local officials loyal to Georgian Dream from around the country.
From BBC • Dec. 13, 2024
He won 312 votes in the US electoral college compared with Harris’s 226.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2024
The method of choosing electors to that odd inspiration called the electoral college varied from state to state.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
![]()
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.