delegate

1 of 2

noun

del·​e·​gate ˈde-li-gət How to pronounce delegate (audio) -ˌgāt How to pronounce delegate (audio)
: a person acting for another: such as
a
: a representative to a convention or conference
U.N. delegates from African nations
The nominee netted a handful of delegates in the state's caucus.
b
government : a representative of a U.S. territory in the House of Representatives
c
government : a member of the lower house of the legislature of Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia

delegate

2 of 2

verb

del·​e·​gate ˈde-li-ˌgāt How to pronounce delegate (audio)
delegated; delegating

transitive verb

1
: to entrust to another
delegate authority
delegated the task to her assistant
2
: to appoint as one's representative

intransitive verb

: to assign responsibility or authority
a good manager knows how to delegate
delegatee noun
delegator noun

Did you know?

To delegate is, literally or figuratively, to send another in one’s place, an idea that is reflected in the word’s origin: it is a descendant of the Latin word legare, meaning “to send.” The noun delegate, which refers to a person who is chosen or elected to vote or act for others, arrived in English in the 14th century, while the verb didn't make its entrée till the early 16th century. Some distant cousins of the word delegate that also trace back to legare include legacy, colleague, relegate, and legate, “an official representative sent to a foreign country.”

Examples of delegate in a Sentence

Noun the U.N. delegates from African countries He's been chosen as a delegate to the convention. Verb A manager should delegate authority to the best employees. Those chores can be delegated to someone else. He doesn't delegate very well.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Hawaii Republican caucuses will allocate 19 delegates, distributed across various subgroups based on the statewide vote and congressional district results. Jeremy Yurow, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 Trump has over 1,075 delegates, according to CBS News estimates, and is closing in on the 1,215 delegates needed to secure the nomination. Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 It’s widely expected that following these contests today Trump will attain the 1,215 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination and Biden will attain the 1,968 delegates required to clinch the Democratic nomination, officially setting up a rematch in November between the two rivals. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Numerous Democratic Virginia delegates are now bracing themselves for a record-setting wave of vetoes from the governor, given the failure to reach a compromise on the arena and some of his other priorities, such as an overhaul of the tax system. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 The former president is on track to reach the necessary 1,215 delegates to clinch the Republican nomination later this month. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2024 Haley won only in Vermont, which has only 17 delegates of the 874 at stake in the 15 states that voted in GOP contests on Super Tuesday. Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 Coming into Tuesday, Trump had 273 delegates and Haley 43. Kendrick Marshall, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 On Tuesday, another 865 Republican delegates will be allocated. Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
When Twitter sued Musk in 2022 over his attempt to back out of buying the company for $44 billion, McCormick assigned herself the case rather than delegating what was sure to be a contentious, high-profile matter to one of her vice chancellors. Rachel Lerman, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2024 The Associated Press declared Mr. Trump the winner shortly after caucus sites closed in Nevada, giving him his fourth straight triumph in a Republican nominating contest that awards delegates this year. Michael Gold, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 In either event, the question of what was delegated is settled. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 1 Feb. 2024 The party will begin awarding it delegates Feb. 3 in South Carolina. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2024 To successfully delegate, however, a leader must effectively communicate the goals and objectives associated with the task at hand, and then trust the individuals to accomplish the task. Claire Simier, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 While many attorneys and firms tend to delegate communication tasks and may interact with clients less directly, the Odierno team prefers a completely opposed method. Nick Kasmik, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 Riepe delegated his bill as his priority for the session on Wednesday -- a day before the deadline to do so. Margery A. Beck The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2024 The virtue of a representative, as opposed to a direct, democracy was that it was broken up, shared, and delegated. TIME, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'delegate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English delegat, from Medieval Latin delegatus, from Latin, past participle of delegare to delegate, from de- + legare to send — more at legate

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of delegate was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near delegate

Cite this Entry

“Delegate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delegate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

delegate

1 of 2 noun
del·​e·​gate ˈdel-i-gət How to pronounce delegate (audio)
-ˌgāt
: a person sent with power to act for another : representative

delegate

2 of 2 verb
del·​e·​gate ˈdel-i-ˌgāt How to pronounce delegate (audio)
delegated; delegating
1
: to entrust to another
delegate authority
2
: to appoint as one's delegate

Legal Definition

delegate

1 of 2 noun
del·​e·​gate ˈde-li-gət How to pronounce delegate (audio)
: a person empowered to act on behalf of another: as
a
: a person who is authorized to perform another's duties under a contract
b
: a representative to a convention (as of a political party) or conference
c
: a representative of a U.S. territory in the House of Representatives
d
: a member of the lower house of the legislature of Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia

delegate

2 of 2 verb
del·​e·​gate ˈde-li-ˌgāt How to pronounce delegate (audio)
delegated; delegating

transitive verb

1
: to entrust or transfer (as power, authority, or responsibility) to another: as
a
: to transfer (one's contractual duties) to another
b
: to empower a body (as an administrative agency) to perform (a governmental function) see also nondelegation doctrine
2
: to appoint as one's representative

intransitive verb

: to transfer responsibility or authority
Etymology

Noun

Medieval Latin delegatus, from Latin, past participle of delegare to appoint, put in charge

More from Merriam-Webster on delegate

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