elect
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to choose or select by vote, as for an office.
to elect a mayor.
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to determine in favor of (a method, course of action, etc.).
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to pick out; choose.
First-year students may elect French, Spanish, or German.
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Theology. (of God) to select for divine mercy or favor, especially for salvation.
verb (used without object)
adjective
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selected, as for an office, but not yet inducted (usually used in combination following a noun).
the governor-elect.
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select or choice.
an elect circle of artists.
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Theology. chosen by God, especially for eternal life.
noun
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a person or the persons chosen or worthy to be chosen.
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Theology. a person or persons chosen by God, especially for favor or salvation.
abbreviation
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electric.
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electrical.
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electrician.
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electricity.
verb
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(tr) to choose (someone) to be (a representative or a public official) by voting
they elected him Mayor
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to select; choose
to elect to die rather than surrender
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(tr) (of God) to select or predestine for the grace of salvation
adjective
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(immediately postpositive) voted into office but not yet installed
the president elect
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chosen or choice; selected or elite
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( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the elect
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Christianity
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selected or predestined by God to receive salvation; chosen
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( as collective noun; preceded by the )
the elect
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Related Words
See choose.
Other Word Forms
- electability noun
- electable adjective
- electee noun
- nonelect noun
- preelect verb (used with object)
- reelect verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of elect
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin ēlēctus “chosen” (past participle of ēligere ), equivalent to ē- “out of, from” + leg- “choose” + -tus past participle suffix; e- 1, elite
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In recent days, local leaders hired an outside team of former federal prosecutors to investigate whether any town elected official or employee committed wrongdoing in connection with the ordeal.
Khamenei held a pope-like position in the Shiite Muslim world: elected by a council of elders to convey the word of God.
Two days earlier, the commission voted unanimously to bifurcate the duties of the city attorney, currently an elected official who prosecutes misdemeanors and represents the city in civil litigation.
From Los Angeles Times
The missions of the U.S. military are the responsibility of elected and politically accountable officials.
While he made a name for himself as a feisty media performer among the party faithful, Polanski was previously little known outside the London Assembly, where he is an elected member.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
