What does "delegate" mean?
A person authorized to act as representative for another; a deputy.
Delegate
/ˈdɛlɪɡət/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person authorized to act as representative for another; a deputy.
- Grammar: delegate is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abdicates, accredit, agent, agent.
- Useful contrasts: direct drive, bossing, captain.
- Usage evidence: I roomed with a delegate from Algeria.
How to use "delegate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "delegate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "delegate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "delegate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "delegate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "delegate" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abdicates" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "delegate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person authorized to act as representative for another; a deputy.
- 2 a person appointed or elected to represent others wordnet
- 3 A representative at a conference, etc.
- 4 An appointed representative in some legislative bodies. US
- 5 A type of variable storing a reference to a method with a particular signature, analogous to a function pointer.
"Historically, all viable frameworks have always provided a mechanism to implement callbacks. C# goes one step further and encapsulates callbacks into callable objects called delegates."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A member of a governmental legislature who lacks voting power.
"The house of delegates in apartheid-era South Africa lacked any real voting power."
Verb
- 1 To commit tasks and responsibilities to others, especially subordinates. intransitive
"New Zealand Prime Minister John Key was perceived to delegate effectively. Wayne Mapp, a minister under Key observed he had 'a different style than the traditional style of New Zealand political management. He delegates in the manner of a chief executive, and lets ministers get on with their jobs' (Mapp 2014)."
- 2 give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person) wordnet
- 3 To commit (a task or responsibility) to someone, especially a subordinate. transitive
"The war on Covid-19 was delegated to the health secretary, Matt Hancock, a paralysed NHS and scientists publicly feuding over dud data."
- 4 transfer power to someone wordnet
- 5 (of a subdomain) To give away authority over a subdomain; to allow someone else to create sub-subdomains of a subdomain of one's own. Internet, transitive
Adjective
- 1 delegated not-comparable, obsolete, participle, past
- 2 Acting as a delegate, delegated; of, pertaining to a delegate adjective, not-comparable, obsolete
Proper Noun
- 1 A locality in the Snowy Monaro council area, south eastern New South Wales, Australia.
Example
"I roomed with a delegate from Algeria."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "delegate"?
Common synonyms include: abdicates, accredit, agent, agent, agents, allot.
How do you use "delegate" in a sentence?
I roomed with a delegate from Algeria.
How do you pronounce "delegate"?
Pronounced /ˈdɛlɪɡət/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English delegat, from Old French delegat, from Latin dēlēgātus substantivized from the nominative masculine singular of dēlēgātus, the perfect passive participle of dēlēgō (“to send, assign, delegate”), see -ate (noun-forming suffix). See also legate.
Etymology 2
From the above noun by metanalysis or directly borrowed from Latin dēlēgātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
Etymology 3
From Middle English delegat(e) (“delegated”, used as a past participle and adjective), used as the past participle of delegate up until Early Modern English, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.