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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of general election

An Americanism dating back to 1710–20

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

general election

In Britain, the percentage of voters who support one of the two traditional parties, the Conservatives and Labour, went from 97% in the 1950s to 57% in the last general election.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

The accidents have undermined trust in the world's second-largest high-speed rail network and overshadowed campaigning for a November 29 general election in which Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is trailing in opinion polls.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

It shouldn't be seen as an indication that the current crop of general election polls are off the mark.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

And once the primary ended, the pair could have buried the hatchet permanently rather than letting the tensions simmer into the general election.

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

In the white general election of May 1987, the Nationalists won an overwhelming majority.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---