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relegation

American  
[rel-i-gey-shuhn] / ˌrɛl ɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. assignment or banishment to an inferior position, place, rank, or condition.

    Many factors are responsible for the relegation of disabled people to the margins of society.

    The pending legislation shows the relegation of environmental concerns toward the bottom of the priority list in energy politics.

  2. Soccer. demotion to a lower playing league or division based on a team’s record.

    The European leagues are a meritocratic hierarchy connected by promotion and relegation.

Etymology

Origin of relegation

First recorded in 1400–50; from Latin relēgātiōn-, stem of relēgātiō “a sending away, banishment”; relegate ( def. ), -ion ( def. )

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.

Make no mistake, Tottenham – 16th in the Premier League and four points above the relegation zone – are in a battle to stay up.

From BBC

West Ham United say they will need to sell players this summer even if they avoid relegation from the Premier League, after revealing a £104.2m loss for the last financial year.

From BBC

The change was emphatically backed by the Rugby Football Union's Council, with 51 votes in favour of switching away from a traditional promotion and relegation mechanism and only four against.

From BBC

Palace are 13th in the Premier League, but 10 points clear of the relegation zone and only three away from eighth, which could be a position high enough to secure a European return next season.

From BBC

Tottenham Hotspur interim head coach Igor Tudor says ensuring the club avoid relegation from the Premier League represents the hardest challenge of his career.

From Barron's

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.