general election

American  

noun

1. U.S. Politics.

   1. a regularly scheduled local, state, or national election in which voters elect officeholders.

   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.

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general election British  

noun

1. an election in which representatives are chosen in all constituencies of a state

2. 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

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Etymology

Origin of general election

An Americanism dating back to 1710–20

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

general election

Mr. Fishback lost the GOP primary to Rep. Byron Donalds, who will face Democrat David Jolly in the general election.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

In a BBC interview shortly after stepping down as PM, Sir Keir said he would stay as an MP until the next general election.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Graham will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in November’s general election.

From Slate ● Aug. 29, 2026

Replacing Trudeau as leader of his party and the government in March 2025, he won a general election a month later, to everyone's surprise.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

We visited Butte, Montana, on the Fourth of July, which happened to be Malia’s tenth birthday and about four months ahead of the general election.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama