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”; 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.
De Zerbi has seven games left to turn things around and stave off relegation.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
With the appointment of Roberto de Zerbi, Tottenham are on to their third manager this season and they are in serious relegation trouble.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
They are both in the thick of the relegation battle at the bottom of the table and will surely have at least one eye on that, rather than being fully focused on the FA Cup.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
The problem was they had just drawn against three relegation candidates - Wolves, Leeds and Burnley, and their next two games were against title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
It may indeed force the relegation of dreadnoughts to the scrap heap.
From Aircraft and Submarines The Story of the Invention, Development, and Present-Day Uses of War's Newest Weapons by Abbot, Willis J. (Willis John)
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.
