relegate

verb rel·e·gate \ ˈre-lə-ˌgāt \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

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Examples: relegate in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of relegate

relegated; relegating

transitive verb

1 : to send into exile : banish

2 : assign: such as

a : to assign to a place of insignificance or of oblivion : put out of sight or mind

b : to assign to an appropriate place or situation on the basis of classification or appraisal

c : to submit to someone or something for appropriate action : delegate

d : to transfer (a sports team) to a lower ranking division

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relegation

play \ˌre-lə-ˈgā-shən\ noun

See relegate defined for English-language learners

See relegate defined for kids

Examples of relegate in a Sentence

The bill has been relegated to committee for discussion.
courtiers and generals who incurred the emperor's disfavor were soon relegated to the farther reaches of the empire

Recent Examples of relegate from the Web

Landau is one of many chefs who long ago left salt and pepper shakers behind, relegating them to dining rooms of the past.

— allison steele, Philly.com, "Why salt shakers disappeared from restaurant tables," 27 June 2018
Every athlete is different in myriad ways, from their their sport to their shape to their story—though too often, society relegates them to an incredibly narrow box, physically and otherwise.

— nora whelan, SELF, "Everyday Athletes Talk About What Strength Means to Them," 26 June 2018
Newgarden's win vaults him to fourth with 343 points, while Power's DNF relegates him to fifth with 328 points.

— jim ayello, USA TODAY, "Josef Newgarden rebounds to score first career IndyCar win at Road America," 24 June 2018
Newgarden's win vaults him to fourth with 343 points, while Power's DNF relegates him to fifth with 328 points.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Josef Newgarden rebounds with win at Road America," 24 June 2018
Generally, cruise lines charge higher prices for ocean view rooms and relegate interior cabins to their lowest-price categories.

— ron hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Want to sail alone? Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line waives surcharge for solo travelers," 21 June 2018
German soccer team Hamburger SV beat Borussia Moenchengladbach, 2-1, behind goals from Aaron Hunt and Lewis Holtby, but the club was relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time ever.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Petra Kvitova captures third Madrid Open title," 13 May 2018
That rankles with eastern European governments, like Hungary and Slovenia, who fear a Schengen collapse could relegate them to a new second tier of the EU.

— The Economist, "Europe’s passport-free zone faces a grim future," 21 June 2018
California's Central Valley is seen as one of the last GOP strongholds in a state largely relegated to Democratic representation.

— bradford betz, Fox News, "Ivanka Trump joins House leader McCarthy at GOP fundraiser in California," 20 June 2018

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

Did You Know?

Originally relegate meant "to send into exile, banish". So when you relegate an old sofa to the basement, you're sending it to home-decorating Siberia. When confronted with a matter that no one really wants to face, a chief executive may relegate it to a committee "for further study", which may manage to ignore it for years. It may be annoying to read a newspaper article about a pet project and find that your own contributions have been relegated to a short sentence near the end.

Origin and Etymology of relegate

Latin relegatus, past participle of relegare, from re- + legare to send with a commission — more at legate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1599

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

relegate Synonyms

Synonyms

assort, break down, categorize, class, classify, codify, compartment, compartmentalize, digest, distinguish, distribute, grade, group, peg, place, range, rank, separate, sort, type;

Near Antonyms

confuse, disarrange, jumble, lump, mix (up), scramble;

misclassify, missort, mistype;

alphabetize, catalog (or catalogue), file, index, list, refer;

pigeonhole, shelve;

identify, recognize;

cull, screen, set, sieve, sift, winnow;

clump, cluster;

recategorize, reclassify, regroup;

subcategorize;

Synonym Discussion of relegate

commit, entrust, confide, consign, relegate mean to assign to a person or place for a definite purpose. commit may express the general idea of delivering into another's charge or the special sense of transferring to a superior power or to a special place of custody.

- committed the felon to prison

entrust implies committing with trust and confidence.

- the president is entrusted with broad powers

confide implies entrusting with great assurance or reliance.

- confided complete control of my affairs to my attorney

consign suggests removing from one's control with formality or finality.

- consigned the damaging notes to the fire

relegate implies a consigning to a particular class or sphere often with a suggestion of getting rid of.

- relegated to an obscure position in the company

RELEGATE Defined for English Language Learners

relegate

verb

Definition of relegate for English Language Learners

: to put (someone or something) in a lower or less important position, rank, etc.
: to give (something, such as a job or responsibility) to another person or group
: to move (a sports team) to a lower position in a league