as in to choose
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
I've elected to study French as my foreign language
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in select
singled out from a number or group as more to one's liking
this elect body of students represents the best that the nation's high schools have to offer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in best
individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class
the members of this all-American team are the elect of collegiate football
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elect
Molly Ball, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Millions of Black citizens registered, voted, and helped elect the first generation of Black officeholders in the South since Reconstruction — and the first Black president.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Tim Reynolds, ajc, 7 Nov. 2021
Voters chose to re-elect incumbents Daniel Ursu and Juanita Lewis.
—cleveland, 4 Nov. 2021
Will Johnson, Time, 1 Jan. 2026
New mayor to decide on next fire chief Carter worked closely with Mayor-elect Kaohly Her when appointing Duren, according to Carter’s office.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elect
Verb
Two of the women elected to Congress that year, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, won gubernatorial elections this week.
—Molly Ball, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Millions of Black citizens registered, voted, and helped elect the first generation of Black officeholders in the South since Reconstruction — and the first Black president.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
In some cases, those who are vaccinated but elect to not receive a booster would be subjected to game-day testing again starting Dec. 1, the NBA said.
—Tim Reynolds, ajc, 7 Nov. 2021
Voters chose to re-elect incumbents Daniel Ursu and Juanita Lewis.
—cleveland, 4 Nov. 2021
Noun
Will Democrats embrace Democratic Socialism as embodied by New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani?
—Will Johnson, Time, 1 Jan. 2026
New mayor to decide on next fire chief Carter worked closely with Mayor-elect Kaohly Her when appointing Duren, according to Carter’s office.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elect
Verb
-
Last week, four Republic of Ireland internationals playing in the Women’s Super League in England, Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton & Hove Albion), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace) and Hayley Nolan (London City Lionesses), chose not to have the poppy on their team shirts.—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The Dolphins chose not to spend the money (or match or surpass other teams’ offers) on several solid contributors after their rookie contracts ended.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi is prominently featured at the top of the site, alongside members of the House select committee on the riot.—
Daniel S. Levine,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Lenovo plans to roll out Qira on select Lenovo devices in Q1 2026.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Not to mention, some of the leagues' bests have graced his work, including Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The kicking game was so bad that Freeman sounded like Brian Kelly at his sarcastic best when asked about Noah Burnette, Erik Schmidt and Marcello Diomede combining to miss two extra points and one field goal.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
He was hand picked by Jeopardy producers to succeed Trebek before his passing, and even got the blessing of the longtime host's widow, Jean Trebek.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
-
He was picked to play for Latvia in the Winter Olympics next month in Milan, Italy.—
Steve Lyttle,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The selected cohort—Diamond Batiste, Ciara Boniface, Jeremy Hsing, Alejandra López and Brittany Alexia Young—were chosen from nearly 1,000 submissions, placing them at the forefront of a new chapter in cinematic storytelling.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The selected resident will receive a year-long immersive experience, both living and working at Trilith while developing their original project with the guidance of industry professionals.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Some moved to England in order to receive an education or marry into the aristocracy; others journeyed to India, Macau, or Rome.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
-
All Creatures Great and Small What Downton Abbey did for British aristocracy, All Creatures Great and Small does for English veterinary practices.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Washington was Young’s preferred destination, and the two sides were working on a deal to get the 27-year-old point guard to the nation’s capital.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Firstly, it was discovered that based on the data, about two-thirds of the parents had a preferred child, and that their favorite often stayed stagnant over decades.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Streep will play veteran New York property market journalist Diane Castle who, disillusioned with writing about the wealthy elite, probes a record-breaking sale of a new penthouse and the buyer’s identity for what could be the story of a lifetime.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
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Under the guidance of Julian Nagelsmann, Germany has rediscovered its attacking rhythm and pressing intensity, signaling a potential return to the elite.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elect. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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