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returning officer

American

noun

British.

a public official appointed to conduct and preside at an election.

returning officer British

noun

(in Britain, Canada, Australia, etc) an official in charge of conducting an election in a constituency or electoral district, who supervises the counting of votes and announces the results

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of returning officer

First recorded in 1720–30

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.

See Examples For:

returning officer

Following the election, it said it would "prepare a statutory report on all aspects of the Senedd election, including monitoring returning officer performance and making any necessary recommendations to the Welsh government".

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

Lawyers on behalf of the acting returning officer attended the hearing, but made no representations, and no other party was represented.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026

If this does not resolve the issue, you can raise your concerns with your council's returning officer.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2025

The writ is an order for the election be held, sent from the Speaker to the constituency returning officer, who then sets the date.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2024

I have it in my power to make you returning officer for Keeton.

From The Galaxy, June 1877 Vol. XXIII.—June, 1877.—No. 6. by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023