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
Hurtling towards relegation - but can Port Vale shock Chelsea in FA Cup?
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
Final confirmation of Hashtag's relegation will be made in the second week of May.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
A certain period of time spent in a hard labour prison preceded relegation, but the convicts on arrival were generally unfitted to assist in colonization.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 "Demijohn" to "Destructor" by Various
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.
