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Definition of delegate
: a person acting for another: such asa : a representative to a convention or conference U.N. delegates from African nations The nominee netted a handful of delegates in the state's caucus.b government : a representative of a U.S. territory in the House of Representativesc government : a member of the lower house of the legislature of Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia
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Examples of delegate in a Sentence
the U.N. delegates from African countries
He's been chosen as a delegate to the convention.
Recent Examples of delegate from the Web
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In addition, Renslow was active in local politics, serving for eight years as a Democratic precinct captain in the 1970s and 1980s and also as a delegate to the 1980 Democratic National Convention.
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The suggestion by Haley, a diplomatic novice, that U.S. leadership in the world is enhanced by its unpredictability struck some delegates as naive and a bit troubling.
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Yacht alley was in full swing, as young ad tech entrepreneurs who have made their millions welcomed thirsty delegates on board with endless bottles of rosé.
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Almost half of his delegates are women; most have never been active in politics.
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The PAC also put on a $3,500 nighttime social event for Connecticut convention delegates in Cleveland, at a bar and grill with a bowling alley across the street from the delegation's hotel, the Hilton Cleveland Downtown.
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Dahl was selected as one of two Kansas delegates to participate.
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A letter last week by the authority’s top lawyer defended the delegate meetings as legal and necessary to protect county ratepayers’ interests.
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Ellis lost to Bauman by 62 votes, with just under 3,000 party delegates casting ballots.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'delegate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of delegate
Middle English delegat, from Medieval Latin delegatus, from Latin, past participle of delegare to delegate, from de- + legare to send — more at legate
Definition of delegate
delegated
;delegating
transitive verb
1 : to entrust to another delegate authority delegated the task to her assistant
2 : to appoint as one's representative
intransitive verb
: to assign responsibility or authority a good manager knows how to delegate
Examples of delegate in a Sentence
A manager should delegate authority to the best employees.
Those chores can be delegated to someone else.
He doesn't delegate very well.
Recent Examples of delegate from the Web
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Garcia joins top assistant Allen Holcomb as aides to whom Ryan can delegate responsibilities.
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In Feldman’s view, delegating authority for Afghanistan to Mattis lets Trump take credit for any victories and distance himself from any failures that might arise from the defense secretary’s efforts.
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Even his work as whip, in charges of marshaling votes from GOP members of the House, can be delegated.
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Some, however, questioned the wisdom of the president delegating such authority to the Pentagon.
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Sessions then recused himself in March from overseeing the FBI's Russia probe and delegated that authority to his new deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein.
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Delta residents have accused the state Department of Water Resources of already delegating too much decision-making to the water contractors that would benefit from them financially.
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The white students were then delegated to spread out throughout the library floor and watch for police potentially surrounding the building.
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First Selectman Carl Fortuna Jr. said that Dobson will continue to perform routine inspections for the town but that more serious incidents will be delegated to deputy fire marshals during the investigation.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'delegate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
To "delegate" is literally or figuratively to send another in one's place, an idea that is reflected in the word’s origin; it is a descendant of Latin legare, meaning "to send as an emissary." Other English words that can be traced back to "legare" include "legate" ("a usually official emissary"), "legacy," "colleague," and "relegate." The noun delegate, meaning "a person acting for another," entered English in the 15th century, followed by the verb in the next century.
Origin and Etymology of delegate
see 1delegate
DELEGATE Defined for English Language Learners
delegate
playDefinition of delegate for English Language Learners
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: a person who is chosen or elected to vote or act for others
delegate
playDefinition of delegate for English Language Learners
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: to give (control, responsibility, authority, etc.) to someone : to trust someone with (a job, duty, etc.)
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: to choose (someone) to do something
DELEGATE Defined for Kids
Definition of delegate for Students
: a person sent with power to act for another or others
Definition of delegate for Students
delegated
;delegating
1 : to entrust to another The voters delegate power to their elected officials.
2 : to make responsible for getting something done We were delegated to clean up.
Law Dictionary
Legal Definition of delegate
: a person empowered to act on behalf of another: as a : a person who is authorized to perform another's duties under a contract b : a representative to a convention (as of a political party) or conference c : a representative of a U.S. territory in the House of Representatives d : a member of the lower house of the legislature of Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia
Origin and Etymology of delegate
Medieval Latin delegatus, from Latin, past participle of delegare to appoint, put in charge
Legal Definition of delegate
delegated
delegating
transitive verb
1 : to entrust or transfer (as power, authority, or responsibility) to another: as a : to transfer (one's contractual duties) to another b : to empower a body (as an administrative agency) to perform (a governmental function) — see also nondelegation doctrine
2 : to appoint as one's representative
intransitive verb
: to transfer responsibility or authority
Learn More about delegate
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See words that rhyme with delegate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for delegate Spanish Central: Translation of delegate Nglish: Translation of delegate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of delegate for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about delegate
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