relegate

verb

rel·​e·​gate ˈre-lə-ˌgāt 

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

relegation

ˌre-lə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

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.

Synonyms

• banish
• deport
• displace
• exile
• expatriate
• transport

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

There followed a surreal half-time chat between Chapman and Poyet about his dismissal, with the game relegated to a sideshow, as fellow pundit Efan Ekoku shifted awkwardly in his seat. —Tom Burrows, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

The herb once relegated to savory cooking has begun popping up in cocktails, as more bartenders enlist its unique flavor to liven up recipes. —Kevin Gray, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

Instead, he’s relegated to one episode — just like Frank (Jon Bernthal) and Hector (Kamar de los Reyes). —Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2025

However, this never seemed to be the case, and Nakamura was relegated to the midcard for most of his time on the main roster. —Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for relegate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

relegate

verb

rel·​e·​gate ˈrel-ə-ˌgāt 

relegated; relegating

1

: to remove or dismiss to a less important place

relegate some old books to the attic

2

: to refer or hand over for decision or carrying out

relegate that matter to a special committee

relegation

ˌrel-ə-ˈgā-shən 

noun