Word
delegate
Phoneticsdel·e·gate, stress on the first syllable
/ˈdɛɫəˌɡeɪt/
Definitions
01a representative
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a person who is chosen to speak or vote for a group, especially at a large meeting or conference.
n. a person authorized to act as a representative for another, typically within the context of a conference, political convention, or legislative body.
日本語:代表※
“Each country sent a delegate to the international climate summit to discuss the new treaty.”
“The union delegates voted unanimously to reject the management's proposal, citing concerns over long-term job security and pension contributions.”
Synonyms
02to give tasks to others
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to give part of your work, power, or responsibilities to someone else.
v. to entrust a task or responsibility to another person, typically one who is less senior than oneself.
日本語:委任する※
“A good manager knows how to delegate tasks so they can focus on the big picture.”
“The director was forced to delegate the final stages of the project to her deputy while she attended the emergency board meeting.”
Usage
The verb is often used intransitively when describing a management style.
Pitfall
He delegated the report for his assistant.
He delegated the report to his assistant.
You delegate a task 'to' a person, not 'for' them.
03programming reference
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Computing Technical
n. a type of variable that points to a specific function or method so it can be called later.
n. a type of object that encapsulates a reference to a method with a specific signature, functioning similarly to a type-safe function pointer.
“The programmer used a delegate to handle the event when the user clicked the button.”
“By using a delegate, the developer decoupled the event-handling logic from the core user interface components, improving the code's maintainability.”
04network authority
C1 · Advanced Computing Technical
v. to give control of a part of a website address to a different server.
v. to transfer authority over a subdomain to a different name server in the Domain Name System.
“The company decided to delegate the blog subdomain to a specialized hosting provider.”
“To improve performance, the IT department delegated the regional subdomains to local servers located closer to the end users.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “delegate” in context.
Verb
01. address the delegates
“The keynote speaker will address the delegates at the opening ceremony tomorrow morning.”
verb + noun
02. dispatch a delegate
“The committee decided to dispatch a delegate to the summit to observe the negotiations.”
verb + noun
03. elect a delegate
“Each local branch must elect a delegate to represent their interests at the national conference.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. accredited delegate
“All accredited delegates must wear their identification badges at all times within the venue.”
adj + noun
05. voting delegate
“Only a registered voting delegate is permitted to cast a ballot during the final session.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. delegate pass
“Please present your delegate pass at the security desk to gain entry to the main hall.”
noun + noun
07. gathering of delegates
“The annual gathering of delegates provides a unique opportunity for international networking.”
noun + of + noun
Real-World Examples
“The court may specify how that disposal will happen, or it may delegate that decision to a person appointed to carry out the order.” “In theory, we could be able to liberate ourselves of dull, menial tasks, such as replying to emails, going to meetings or managing calendars and diaries, by delegating these to capable bots.” “A few days after the incident, the NTSB was “delegated the investigation in full” by the Greek authorities.” Etymology
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.
From the above noun by metanalysis or directly borrowed from Latin dēlēgātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/delegate
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0