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
• exile
• deport

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

Cameron Payne was relegated to the end of the bench by the conference finals. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025

But Pavard had an exit clause in his contract, and Stuttgart was relegated to the second division that season. —Manuel Veth, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025

Contentious topics, such as NATO’s role in the war in Ukraine—and Ukraine’s own prospects for joining the alliance—are relegated to working meetings for ministers. —Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 24 June 2025

His results were generally poor, and he was relegated at the end of his second season. —Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 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