electorate
Americannoun
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the body of persons entitled to vote in an election.
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the dignity or territory of an Elector of the Holy Roman Empire.
noun
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the body of all qualified voters
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the rank, position, or territory of an elector of the Holy Roman Empire
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the area represented by a Member of Parliament
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the voters in a constituency
Etymology
Origin of electorate
Explanation
An electorate is a body of people allowed to vote in an election. In the United States, when you turn eighteen, you may join the electorate and help choose a president. The word electorate is especially important for those people who are not a part of it. For instance, women in the United States were not part of the electorate until they were allowed to vote in 1920. Being a part of the electorate is important because it gives you a chance to elect — or choose — who you want to represent you in your government.
Vocabulary lists containing electorate
Star-Spangled Vocabulary: Patriotic Words
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Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting
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Nothing But the Truth
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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.
Romania, which had a robust Russia-sympathetic electorate in the years immediately following Russia’s invasion, has seen popular sentiment harden against Moscow following a series of drone incursions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
It’s a problem with the broader American electorate.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Pocketbook issues have always been the single strongest motivator for the electorate.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Park recommended the electorate be expanded from around 200 officials, club representatives, coaches and players to around 20,000, including semi-professionals.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“On the day the electorate, as expected in polls, was voting in unprecedented numbers against bombing North Vietnam or otherwise escalating the war, we were working to set such a policy in motion,” Ellsberg recalled.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
