What does delegate mean?
A delegate is a person chosen or authorized to act on behalf of others, most often as a representative sent to a conference, convention, or deliberative body. The word also functions as a verb: to delegate means to assign a task, duty, or authority to someone else, usually a junior colleague, so that work is distributed rather than handled personally. Delegation is a central concept in management and leadership, where knowing what to delegate — and to whom — is considered a core skill. The noun and verb differ in pronunciation, with the noun stressing the first syllable and the verb the second. In United States politics, delegates hold particular significance as the individuals whose support at party conventions formally determines presidential nominations. Derived forms include delegation, the act of delegating or the group of delegates sent, and delegator, the person doing the assigning. The word conveys trust and formal authorization, making it essential vocabulary in business, diplomacy, and civic life.
A person sent or authorized to represent others, particularly as an elected representative at a conference, convention, or legislative assembly.
"Each state sends delegates to the national party convention."
Pronounced /ˈdɛlɪɡət/, with no secondary stress on the final syllable.
To entrust a task, duty, or authority to another person, or to appoint someone as one's official representative.
"Good managers delegate routine work so they can focus on strategy."
Pronounced /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/, with full stress on the second syllable; commonly followed by a direct object of the task plus 'to' plus the recipient.
Standard English plural; used for multiple representatives at conferences, conventions, or assemblies.
"Delegates from all twelve unions attended the bargaining session."
In American politics, winning the presidency starts with winning 'delegates' — people who literally embody your vote at the party convention.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of delegate
Delegate comes from the Latin verb delegare, formed from de- ('away, from') plus legare ('to send with a commission, appoint'), the same root that gives us legate, legacy, and legal. The word entered English in the early modern period, appearing in both its noun sense of an accredited representative and its verb sense of entrusting duties to another. Its Latin relatives relegate and legate preserve the underlying idea of sending or commissioning someone for a purpose.
Related word forms
How delegate is actually used
The noun and verb are pronounced differently: the noun has final stress reduction (/ˈdɛlɪɡət/) while the verb keeps stress on the second syllable (/ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/) — a pattern shared by words like 'associate' and 'graduate'. The verb is common in business and management contexts and carries a neutral, practical tone; it can occasionally imply offloading unwanted work if used critically ('he just delegates everything'). In US politics, 'delegate' has a specialized meaning as a convention voter bound to a candidate.
Easily confused with delegate
To delegate is to hand over tasks to someone else, while to relegate is to demote something or someone to a lower or less important position.