elector

noun

elec·​tor i-ˈlek-tər 

-ˌtȯr

plural electors

1

: a person qualified to vote in an election

2

: a person appointed by a state in the U.S. to vote for president and vice president in the electoral college

When Americans cast their ballots, they are actually voting for a slate of electors appointed by their state's political parties who are pledged to support that party's candidate.

—Allyson Waller

3

: any of the German princes entitled to take part in choosing the Holy Roman Emperor

Examples of elector in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Two weeks later 133 cardinal electors shuttered themselves inside Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel to select the next pope. —Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2025

When a federal district judge threw out Bost's lawsuit in 2022, the decision stemmed from the question of whether the congressman and the electors had the grounds to sue, not the merits of his legal argument about mail-in ballots. —Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2025

Meanwhile, Jones served as one of more than dozen fake electors who pledged to cast votes for Trump despite his losing the state. —Jesse Byrnes, The Hill, 1 Oct. 2025

Judge dismisses case against 'fake electors' in Michigan Congress to hear more about UFOs. —Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing elector

• faithless elector

Rhymes for elector

• bisector
• collector
• connector
• corrector
• defector
• deflector
• detector
• director
• dissector
• effector
• ejector
• erector

Kids Definition

elector

noun

elec·​tor i-ˈlek-tər 

-ˌtȯ(ə)r

1

: one qualified to vote in an election

2

: a person appointed by a state in the U.S. to vote for president and vice president in the electoral college

Legal Definition

elector

noun

elec·​tor

1

: a person who is qualified to vote

2

: a member of the electoral college in the U.S.