elite
Americannoun
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elites
plural
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(used with a plural verb) the choicest or best of anything considered collectively, especially of a group or class of people.
The elite of the contemporary art scene were all represented at the gallery.
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(used with a plural verb)
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people of the highest financial or social level of society.
Only the elite received invites to the event.
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a group of people exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group.
The scandal involved most members of the political party's power elite.
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a member of a group of people who have a great deal of power, influence, or social capital.
The elites don't care about ordinary people's problems.
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a type, widely used in typewriters, that is approximately 10-point in size and has 12 characters to the inch.
adjective
noun
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(sometimes functioning as plural) the most powerful, rich, gifted, or educated members of a group, community, etc
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Also called: twelve pitch. a typewriter typesize having 12 characters to the inch
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of elite
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English elit “a person elected to office,” from Middle French e(s)lit, past participle of e(s)lire “to choose”; see elect
Explanation
The elite are the group thought to be the best and having the highest status. In the middle ages, only elite men were taught to read and write. There are elite schools, elite teams, and elite players, some really the best and some just calling themselves the best. Who can join the basketball elite besides LeBron James and Michael Jordan? That's a matter of opinion. Elite is used with a singular or plural verb, depending on whether these special people are considered together as a group or as individual members of a group.
Vocabulary lists containing elite
The Outsiders
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Outliers
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Achievement First 6th Grade IA 1 Words
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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:
Chris Harrison projected those qualities for 20 years as the face of ABC’s reality dating franchise “The Bachelor,” solidifying his status as one of reality TV’s elite hosts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
He is a man operating at the very top of the US elite - one of a handful of people who could probably walk into the White House unannounced and have tea with Trump.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
For some parents and coaches, NIL deals create welcome opportunities for students to offset the growing costs of elite youth sports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026
Airlines are installing deluxe seats, enlisting Michelin-star chefs for luxury menu offerings and designing elite airport lounges as the industry bets its future on growing demand for premium travel.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
They were given the special title “Guards”—the mark of an elite military unit.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
The demonstrations, inspired by similar movements in France and Italy calling for political elites to heed the concerns of the younger generation, were largely peaceful during the day.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
But these figures, members of the traditional evangelical elites, do not speak for the entire community of evangelical elites.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
Votive deposits in Scandinavian wetlands were ways for local elites to mark their status, appease the gods and demarcate territory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Rowing chiefs contacted by the BBC before Thursday's decision declined to comment directly on Crisafulli's "elites" remarks.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Rather, it translated into population explosions and pampered elites.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
