delegation

American  

[del-i-gey-shuhn] / ˌdɛl ɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

delegations plural

1. a group or body of delegates.

   Our club sent a delegation to the rally.

2. the body of delegates chosen to represent a political unit, as a state, in an assembly.

   the New Jersey delegation in Congress.

   Synonyms:

   commission

3. the act of delegating.

4. the state of being delegated.

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delegation British  

/ ˌdɛlɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. a person or group chosen to represent another or others

2. the act of delegating or state of being delegated

3. politics all the members of Congress from one state

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondelegation
  noun
• predelegation
  noun
• redelegation
  noun
• subdelegation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• delegations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of delegation

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin dēlēgātiōn-, stem of dēlēgātiō “assignment, appointment,” equivalent to dēlēgāt(us) “assigned, appointed” ( see delegate) + -iō -ion

Explanation

A delegation is a group of people who act as representatives of a larger group. If you’re a member of Congress from the Sunshine State, you’re a member of the Florida delegation. Ever seen the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games? Each country's delegation enters the stadium as a group, marching behind its own flag. Some delegations are a few hundred people, some are only a few, but each delegation is made up of the athletes and coaches sent to represent their country. You can also use delegation to mean assigning something to someone. While you're in the Amazon, you'll need to arrange with your roommates for delegation of your bill-paying duties.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

delegation delegations

House delegation will experience high turnover come 2027, as a spate of retirements, redistricting-related changes and competitive races have the potential to remake the state’s footprint in Washington.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

Mauritania, where the German delegation stopped Monday, "desperately needs it", she said, citing hundreds of thousands of refugees who have arrived from neighbouring Mali "because the situation in the Sahel is so dangerous".

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Members of the Taiwanese delegation who managed to reach the venue were denied entry and eventually sent back to Taiwan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

That had all kinds of ramifications, starting with the State Department’s refusal to grant visas to more than a dozen members of Iran’s official delegation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

“Let anyone say anything they please. I cannot prevent that, but I can prevent having one of our delegation left to march alone, almost as if she were a disgrace.”

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Together he and Clinton cofounded and cochaired the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, traveled abroad together on congressional delegations, and partnered on climate policy and healthcare initiatives.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

The delegations were joined by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the head of the country's armed forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

Soccer guided Infantino around the Zurich Hallenstadion to glad hand with delegations from FIFA’s then-207 member associations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

But with three separate delegations – each with representatives from the U.S.,

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

Xuma presided over the era of delegations, deputations, letters, and telegrams.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• commission
• contingent
• embassy
• gathering
• organization