electorate
n.-
1 the body of voters (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate Lawall the people in a country or region who are allowed to vote.
the entire body of people qualified to vote in a given election or jurisdiction.
ExampleThe candidate is trying to win over the younger part of the electorate.
ExamplePolitical analysts observed a significant shift in the electorate's priorities following the sudden economic downturn in the third quarter.
UsageUsually takes a singular verb, though it refers to a group of people.
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2 a voting district (n.) C1 Advanced British English Dialect Lawa specific area that is represented by an elected official.
a geographical area or constituency represented by an elected member of parliament.
ExampleHe has lived in this electorate for over twenty years and knows the local issues well.
ExampleThe boundaries of the electorate were redrawn to account for the rapid population growth in the western suburbs.
UsagePrimarily used in Australia and New Zealand to mean 'constituency'.
Teacher's tipIn American English, 'district' is used; in British English, 'constituency' is standard. This sense is specific to Australian and New Zealand English.
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3 historical German territory (n.) C2 Proficiency Archaic Formalthe land or the position of a prince in the old Holy Roman Empire who helped choose the Emperor.
the territory or dignity of an Elector in the Holy Roman Empire.
ExampleThe Electorate of Hanover was an important territory in the eighteenth century.
ExampleThe Golden Bull of 1356 formally defined the seven electorates whose rulers held the right to choose the King of the Romans.
UsageUsed almost exclusively in historical contexts regarding European history.
- principality
- electorship
From elector (“person eligible to vote in an election; German prince entitled to elect the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire”) + -ate (forms nouns denoting a rank or office, the concrete charge of it).