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Definition of elect verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

elect

verb
 
/ɪˈlekt/
 
/ɪˈlekt/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they elect
 
/ɪˈlekt/
 
/ɪˈlekt/
he / she / it elects
 
/ɪˈlekts/
 
/ɪˈlekts/
past simple elected
 
/ɪˈlektɪd/
 
/ɪˈlektɪd/
past participle elected
 
/ɪˈlektɪd/
 
/ɪˈlektɪd/
-ing form electing
 
/ɪˈlektɪŋ/
 
/ɪˈlektɪŋ/
jump to other results
  1. to choose somebody to do a particular job by voting for them
    • elect somebody/something Voters will elect a new president on 30 March next year.
    • the newly/democratically elected government
    • an elected representative/official/assembly
    • What changes will he make if he gets elected?
    • elect somebody to something She became the first black woman to be elected to the Senate.
    • elect somebody (as) something He was elected (as) MP for Oxford East.
    • The party first elected her leader in 2017.
    Collocations Voting in electionsVoting in electionsRunning for election
    • conduct/​hold an election/​a referendum
    • (especially North American English) run for office/​election/​governor/​mayor/​president/​the White House
    • (especially British English) stand for election/​office/​Parliament/​the Labour Party/​a second term
    • hold/​call/​contest a general/​national election
    • launch/​run a presidential election campaign
    • support/​back a candidate
    • sway/​convince/​persuade voters/​the electorate
    • appeal to/​attract/​woo/​target (North American English) swing voters/(British English) floating voters
    • fix/​rig/​steal an election/​the vote
    Voting
    • go to/​be turned away from (especially British English) a polling station/(North American English) a polling place
    • cast a/​your vote/​ballot (for somebody)
    • vote for the Conservative candidate/​the Democratic party
    • mark/​spoil your ballot paper
    • count (British English) the postal votes/(especially North American English) the absentee ballots
    • go to/​be defeated at the ballot box
    • get/​win/​receive/​lose votes
    • get/​win (60% of) the popular/​black/​Hispanic/​Latino/​Muslim vote
    • win the election/(in the US) the primaries/​a seat in Parliament/​a majority/​power
    • lose an election/​the vote/​your majority/​your seat
    • win/​come to power in a landslide (victory) (= with many more votes than any other party)
    • elect/​re-elect somebody (as) mayor/​president/​an MP/​senator/​congressman/​congresswoman
    Taking power
    • be sworn into office/​in as president
    • take/​administer (in the US) the oath of office
    • swear/​take (in the UK) an/​the oath of allegiance
    • give/​deliver (in the US) the president’s inaugural address
    • take/​enter/​hold/​leave office
    • appoint somebody (as) ambassador/​governor/​judge/​minister
    • form a government/​a cabinet
    • serve two terms as prime minister/​in office
    Extra Examples
    • Five were successful, three being elected unopposed.
    • He was elected to Parliament in 1997.
    • It was decided that the president should be elected directly in free elections.
    • Members of the council are elected annually.
    • She has been elected to Parliament.
    • They make their own rules and elect their own leaders.
    • Each officer shall be elected for one term of two years.
    Topics Politicsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • annually
    • locally
    • nationally
    preposition
    • to
    phrases
    • be elected
    • get elected
    • be declared elected
    See full entry
  2. elect to do something (formal) to choose to do something
    • Increasing numbers of people elect to work from home nowadays.
    • Several of the tenants have elected to move to smaller premises.
  3. Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin elect- ‘picked out’, from the verb eligere, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out’ + legere ‘to pick’.
See elect in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee elect in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
sufficiently
adverb
 
 
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