delegate

noun del·e·gate \ ˈde-li-gət , -ˌgāt \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Examples: delegate in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of delegate

: a person acting for another: such as

a : 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 Representatives

c government : a member of the lower house of the legislature of Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia

See delegate defined for English-language learners

See delegate defined for kids

delegate was our Word of the Day on 03/28/2018. Hear the podcast!

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

But the some 6,200 party delegates are also facing the political reality that there are limited prospects for directing that energy.

— frank phillips and matt stout, BostonGlobe.com, "Democrats have a lot of energy this year. But in Mass., where do they put it?," 1 June 2018
The flooding is the worst in Kenya since 2012, said Marshal Mukuvare, the regional disaster management delegate for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

— New York Times, "Kenya Dam Break Wipes Out Villages, Killing Dozens," 10 May 2018
Shupe said in an interview shortly after the delegates voted.

— joshua stewart, sandiegouniontribune.com, "As vote-by-mail ballots prepare to ship, the state GOP won't endorse a candidate for governor," 6 May 2018
That’s when the 1,400 state party delegates gathered in San Diego will vote on whom to endorse for governor.

— joe garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, "California Republicans try to bury differences for the sake of survival," 5 May 2018
To win the endorsement, Cox or Allen must receive votes from at least 60% of the GOP delegates Sunday.

— seema mehta, latimes.com, "How a California Republican Party endorsement in the governor’s race could help the GOP hang on to Congress," 3 May 2018
Myanmar's government agreed to allow the delegates' visit after previously rejecting U.N. requests for a visit by a special fact-finding committee.

— Fox News, "UN Security Council delegation visiting northern Rakhine," 2 May 2018
Sometimes the 4,000 delegates that are here aren't exactly representative of the 650,000 Republicans that are in this state.

— maeve reston, CNN, "Mitt Romney fails to secure Utah GOP nomination, will face primary," 21 Apr. 2018
This whole thing has been an absolute dream come true — everything about it,’’ Murphy told the delegates in reference to his swift rise from the state legislature at age 25 to Congress at age 33 and the Senate at 39.

— christopher keating, courant.com, "Democrats Nominate Chris Murphy For Second Term As State Convention Kicks Off," 19 May 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

delegate Synonyms

Synonyms

agent, assignee, attorney, commissary, deputy, envoy, factor, procurator, proxy, rep, representative;

alternate, backup, pinch hitter, relief, replacement, stand-in, sub, substitute, surrogate, understudy;

informer, operative, spy;

broker, distributor, manager;

arbiter, arbitrator, conciliator, go-between, intercessor, intermediary, interposer, liaison, mediator, middleman, peacemaker;

mouthpiece, point man, point person, prophet, speaker, spokesman, spokesperson;

delegate

verb del·e·gate \ -ˌgāt \

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

—

delegatee

play \ˌde-li-gə-ˈtē\ noun

—

delegator

play \ˈde-li-ˌgā-tər\ noun

See delegate defined for English-language learners

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

Kacmarcik says hiring highly effective team leaders enables him to delegate the multitude of tasks across his diverse portfolio of ventures.

— steve jagler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Jagler: Debunking the myth of executive multitasking," 24 May 2018
Through the app, these locations delegate musical, and therefore atmospheric, control to patrons and profit in the process.

— lauren michele jackson, The Atlantic, "Digital Jukeboxes Make Every Bar’s Vibe the Same," 8 May 2018
Four Republican Baltimore County delegates send a letter to board earlier this month asking that White not be named superintendent.

— talia richman, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore County community remains divided on new school superintendent Verletta White," 18 Apr. 2018
Du has also sued contractors responsible for the road work connected to the trench, Harris & Associates and KTA Construction, but his suit contends the city can’t delegate its safety responsibilities to its contractors.

— david garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego facing sidewalk, trench, pothole lawsuits after seven-figure payouts," 15 Apr. 2018
Vietnam War era — Facebook has delegated that responsibility to powerful algorithms and sterile digital platforms, retaining scarcely any hands-on role in discriminating based on legitimacy, meaning, quality, and impact.

— nathan bomey, USA TODAY, "How Facebook fired workers who blocked 'fake news' — 'After the Fact' book excerpt," 6 May 2018
The convention delegates also, after two rounds of ballots, endorsed state Representative Geoff Diehl, a leading pro-Trump voice in the state, for the party’s US Senate nomination to oppose Democrat Elizabeth Warren.

— frank phillips, BostonGlobe.com, "Charlie Baker gets endorsement but will face primary challenge," 28 Apr. 2018
The final concern — in many ways the simplest — is that for many people the idea of delegating a life-or-death decision to a machine crosses a moral line.

— billy perrigo, Time, "A Global Arms Race for Killer Robots Is Transforming the Battlefield," 9 Apr. 2018
When writing laws, Congress necessarily delegates some discretion to the executive branch over how to interpret and enforce laws.

— gregory koger, Vox, "The job of Congress: a primer," 17 Apr. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

delegate Synonyms

DELEGATE Defined for English Language Learners

delegate

noun

Definition of delegate for English Language Learners

: a person who is chosen or elected to vote or act for others

delegate

verb

Definition of delegate for English Language Learners

: to give (control, responsibility, authority, etc.) to someone : to trust someone with (a job, duty, etc.)
: to choose (someone) to do something

DELEGATE Defined for Kids

delegate

noun del·e·gate \ ˈde-li-gət \

Definition of delegate for Students

: a person sent with power to act for another or others

delegate

verb del·e·gate \ ˈde-lə-ˌgāt \

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

delegate

noun del·e·gate \ ˈde-li-gət \

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

delegate

verb del·e·gate \ ˈde-li-ˌgāt \

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

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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delegate

Definition of delegate

delegate was our Word of the Day on 03/28/2018. Hear the podcast!

Examples of delegate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of delegate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of delegate

delegate Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

delegate

Definition of delegate

delegatee

delegator

Examples of delegate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of delegate from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of delegate

delegate Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

DELEGATE Defined for English Language Learners

delegate

Definition of delegate for English Language Learners

delegate

Definition of delegate for English Language Learners

DELEGATE Defined for Kids

delegate

Definition of delegate for Students

delegate

Definition of delegate for Students

Law Dictionary

delegate

legal Definition of delegate

Origin and Etymology of delegate

delegate

legal Definition of delegate

Learn More about delegate

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