elect

adjective

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\ i-ˈlekt

Definition of elect

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : carefully selected : chosen

2 : chosen for salvation through divine mercy

3a : chosen for office or position but not yet installed the president-elect

b : chosen for marriage at some future time the bride-elect

elect

noun

plural elect

Definition of elect (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : one chosen or set apart (as by divine favor)

2 elects plural : a select or exclusive group of people

elect

verb

elected; electing; elects

Definition of elect (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to select by vote for an office, position, or membership elected her class president

2 : to make a selection of will elect an academic program

3 : to choose (something, such as a course of action) especially by preference might elect to sell the business

intransitive verb

: to make a selection

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about elect

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Examples of elect in a Sentence

Adjective this elect body of students represents the best that the nation's high schools have to offer Noun the members of this all-American team are the elect of collegiate football Verb He hopes to be elected to the committee. I've elected to study French as my foreign language.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective State residents voted to re-elect Republican Sen. Steve Daines despite a challenge from popular former Gov. Steve Bullock. — Thomas Barrabi, Fox News, "Montana Sen. Jon Tester says Democrats' message to rural voters is 'really, really flawed'," 17 Dec. 2020 In an initial statement after the election, a GSA spokesperson said that the Biden transition team is receiving pre-elect services which include office space, computers, and background investigations for security clearances. — Grace Segers, CBS News, "What is the GSA, and what role does it play in the presidential transition?," 23 Nov. 2020 Contact between presidents-elect and foreign leaders during the transition period between administrations is often the subject of close scrutiny, as in the period after the 2016 presidential election. — Adam Taylor, Washington Post, "What we know about President-elect Biden’s phone calls with world leaders," 12 Nov. 2020 Until an ascertainment is made, the statute allows for the Biden Transition Team to continue to receive the pre-elect services from the government (e.g., limited office space, computers, background investigations for security clearances). — Jerry Dunleavy, Washington Examiner, "Biden denied transition funds as Trump refuses to concede," 8 Nov. 2020 It’s time to become proactive and elect people who honor labor and not just capital. — Anchorage Daily News, "Candidate Q&A: Alaska House District 15 — Lyn Franks," 3 Oct. 2020 But putting him officially at the helm of BLM was deemed too much of a liability in the party’s attempts to re-elect Republican Senators Cory Gardener and Steve Daines, who are facing Democratic challengers in Colorado and Montana, respectively. — Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, "Trump’s Fire Sale of Public Lands for Oil and Gas Drillers," 9 Sep. 2020 The former New York City mayor, who has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into helping elect Democrats in Congress over the years, could also help down-ballot Democrats in 2020. — Benjamin Siegel, ABC News, "How Bloomberg could help Joe Biden take on Trump," 5 Mar. 2020 Now, many teachers have translated that energy to the realm of electoral politics, helping elect candidates who pledge to protect education funding while ousting lawmakers who opposed their causes. — BostonGlobe.com, "When they marched on the statehouse in Frankfort, Kentucky, in the midst of a spring snowstorm and a political firestorm last year, teachers warned the governor: ‘‘We’ll remember in November.’’," 8 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Republican representative-elect was transferred from St. Francis Medical Center to intensive care at Ochsner LSU Health on Dec. 22 to treat his diagnosis better. — Callie Patteson, Washington Examiner, "Louisiana GOP congressman-elect dies after contracting COVID-19," 29 Dec. 2020 Senator Ted Cruz and nearly a dozen other Republican senators or senators-elect have issued a challenge and have sought to delay if not completely reverse the election result. — Elly Belle, refinery29.com, "Why People Are Worried About Mike Pence Rejecting The Electoral Votes," 6 Jan. 2021 Two Democratic senators-elect from Georgia, the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, must also be sworn in soon. — Tal Kopan, SFChronicle.com, "Kamala Harris to resign Senate seat Monday ahead of inauguration," 17 Jan. 2021 Four representatives-elect have been expelled before taking office, but the most recent instance was challenged in federal courts. — John Sharp, al, "Mo Brooks censure: Never seen before in Alabama and a first since the Civil War," 13 Jan. 2021 One of them, Ricki Ruiz, a Latino representative-elect from Gresham, also won a serious challenge from a Republican in the fall general election. — oregonlive, "The Oregon Legislature will swear in a record number of people of color today," 11 Jan. 2021 Instead, each representative-elect can bring one guest in line with social distancing protocols. — Lisa Mascaro, BostonGlobe.com, "Congress opens new session as COVID-19, Biden’s win dominate," 3 Jan. 2021 Federal executions during a presidential transfer of power also are rare, especially during a transition from a death-penalty proponent to a president-elect like Biden opposed to capital punishment. — The Salt Lake Tribune, "U.S. carries out rare execution during presidential transition," 11 Dec. 2020 The delay denied the Democratic president-elect access to highly classified national security briefings and hindered his team's ability to begin drawing up its own plans to respond to the raging coronavirus pandemic. — Arkansas Online, "Biden transition OK'd to start as Trump runs out of options," 24 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Each week, as many as 60 older volunteers appear at Goldstein’s stone ranch house in suburban Philadelphia to talk shop and help elect Joe Biden president. — Washington Post, "Older voters may turn out to be the Democrats’ 2020 heroes," 4 Oct. 2020 Abrams' name has become synonymous with voting rights, having organized a movement in Georgia that drew enough people to the polls in November to turn a red state blue and later elect two Democratic senators. — Dahleen Glanton, Star Tribune, "Stacey Abrams deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Black Lives Matter does not.," 4 Feb. 2021 The Republican Party in Virginia, one of just two states that elect a new governor in 2021, for months has been bitterly split over whether to choose its nominee by a convention or a primary. — Los Angeles Times, "Trump leaves GOP with an identity crisis. First test: Virginia," 27 Jan. 2021 The Hall of Fame determines the makeup of that committee, and the decision whether to elect Bonds and Clemens or not will be the first direct indication about the institution’s feelings about players linked to PEDs. — Susan Slusser, SFChronicle.com, "Barry Bonds remains far short of the Hall of Fame with one year of eligibility left," 26 Jan. 2021 Steve, at 33, was one of the youngest executive directors for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, leading the effort to elect Senate Democrats in the 1992 election. — Julie Bykowicz, WSJ, "Ricchetti Brothers Rise in D.C., One a Lobbyist, the Other in the White House," 25 Jan. 2021 In the 20-person Senate, 11 votes are needed to elect a leader. — James Brooks, Anchorage Daily News, "Facing huge problems, the Alaska Legislature still hasn’t decided who’s in charge," 17 Jan. 2021 Many, if not most, Republican lawmakers were not wearing masks most of the time Wednesday as lawmakers met to formally elect incoming House Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Clare. — Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan legislators worried about maskless GOP lawmakers, lack of gun control at Capitol," 13 Jan. 2021 In 2018, for example, The New York Times backed the use of multi-member districts to elect House members. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "How to Fix the House of Representatives," 31 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'elect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.