general election

noun

1. U.S. Politics.
   1. a regularly scheduled local, state, or national election in which voters elect officeholders. Compare primary ( def 15 ).
   2. a state or national election, as opposed to a local election.
2. British. an election, which must be held at any time within five years of the last election, in which constituents elect members of the House of Commons.

general election

noun

1. an election in which representatives are chosen in all constituencies of a state
2. See primary
   a final election from which successful candidates are sent to a legislative body Compare primary
3. (in the US) a national or state election or (in Canada) a federal or provincial election in contrast to a local election

Word History and Origins

Origin of general election¹

An Americanism dating back to 1710–20

Example Sentences

Jackson went on to lose the general election to Northam, who won the governorship four years later.

From Washington Post

Not only has it grown by leaps and bounds since the 1980s, but it’s tied into everything else — race, inequality and even who you get a chance to vote for in a general election.

From FiveThirtyEight

In his previous role as California’s secretary of state, Padilla successfully oversaw the recent general election and the massive uptick in mail-in voting due to the pandemic.

From Vox

Nixon’s reward was an outpouring of right-wing support for his opponent in the Republican primary and anemic support from the right in the general election, which Nixon lost.

From Washington Post

Case, who is retired, says she has worked every primary and general election for the past 12 years.

From Washington Post

This would be an obvious problem in a general election, but I think even in a primary.

From The Daily Beast

Nearly two years out, the battle lines of the 2016 general election are slowly starting to taking shape.

From The Daily Beast

Nine incumbents lost in the general election, while three lost in their primaries.

From The Daily Beast

The Hillary/Obama race seemed almost general election-like in the way that it captivated the attention of the nation.

From The Daily Beast

Then, a Perry campaign has to prevail in the general election.

From The Daily Beast

The anarchy lasted, with some short intervals of composedness, till the general election of 1765.

From Project Gutenberg

The tumult and license which usually characterise a general election were more than ordinarily rampant and intolerant.

From Project Gutenberg

During this session, as usual after a general election, the house had to deal with a considerable number of election petitions.

From Project Gutenberg

He demanded that the inquiry should be extensive and searching, comprehending the whole of the late general election.

From Project Gutenberg

While Mr. Bradlaugh was lecturing in the States a general election took place in England.

From Project Gutenberg