electorate

[ih-lek-ter-it]

noun

1. the body of persons entitled to vote in an election.

2. the dignity or territory of an Elector of the Holy Roman Empire.

electorate

/ ɪˈlɛktərɪt /

noun

1. the body of all qualified voters

2. the rank, position, or territory of an elector of the Holy Roman Empire

3. the area represented by a Member of Parliament

4. the voters in a constituency

Word History and Origins

Origin of electorate¹

First recorded in 1665–75; elector + -ate ³

Example Sentences

This underscores how much Greene doesn’t understand her own electorate.

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This left Davids to contend with a larger, more rural and more conservative electorate — one that Republicans hoped would reject the liberal, openly gay Democrat and member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, a Native American tribe.

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The electorate has shown politicians they can move in droves, and fast.

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It’s an off-year election, which means turnout is likely to be low and the electorate is unpredictable.

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"We have an avoidable habit of not listening enough to the electorate," he says.

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Related Words

• constituency 
• voter