relegation
Americannoun
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assignment or banishment to an inferior position, place, rank, or condition.
Many factors are responsible for the relegation of disabled people to the margins of society.
The pending legislation shows the relegation of environmental concerns toward the bottom of the priority list in energy politics.
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Soccer. demotion to a lower playing league or division based on a team’s record.
The European leagues are a meritocratic hierarchy connected by promotion and relegation.
Etymology
Origin of relegation
First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin relēgātiōn-, stem of relēgātiō “a sending away, banishment”; see relegate ( def. ), -ion ( def. )
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.
He told me, with absolutely no artifice, that what he finds more interesting about the championship is whether Hull would face relegation or if Leeds could finish in the top half of the table.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Spurs struggled last season, securing survival on the final day and finishing just two points above the relegation zone.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Fulham always seem to be safe and never get dragged into a relegation fight but this might be the year they struggle a bit.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
That can be overwhelming - as Leicester City found out after their fairytale Premier League win back in 2015-16, when they flirted with relegation in their title defence season.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
He objected to the dissociation of school and home life—to that relegation of domestic interests and duties to the background, which large and highly-organized schools, and teachers much above the home level, must necessarily involve.
From Wordsworth by F. W. H. (Frederic William Henry) Myers
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.
