elect

1 of 3

adjective

i-ˈlekt 

1

: carefully selected : chosen

2

: chosen for salvation through divine mercy

3

a

: chosen for office or position but not yet installed

the president-elect

b

: chosen for marriage at some future time

the bride-elect

elect

2 of 3

noun

plural elect

1

: one chosen or set apart (as by divine favor)

2

elects plural : a select or exclusive group of people

elect

3 of 3

verb

elected; electing; elects

transitive verb

1

: to select by vote for an office, position, or membership

elected her class president

2

: to make a selection of

will elect an academic program

3

: to choose (something, such as a course of action) especially by preference

might elect to sell the business

intransitive verb

: to make a selection

Synonyms

Adjective

• cherry-picked
• choice
• chosen
• favored
• favorite
• first-line
• handpicked
• picked
• preferred
• select
• selected

Noun

• A-list
• aristocracy
• best
• choice
• corps d'elite
• cream
• crème de la crème
• elite
• fat
• flower
• illuminati
• pick
• pink
• pride
• priesthood
• prime
• royalty
• upper crust

Verb

• cherry-pick
• choose
• cull
• handpick
• name
• opt (for)
• pick
• prefer
• select
• single (out)
• tag
• take

Examples of elect in a Sentence

Adjective

this elect body of students represents the best that the nation's high schools have to offer

Noun

the members of this all-American team are the elect of collegiate football

Verb

He hopes to be elected to the committee.

I've elected to study French as my foreign language.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And a little more than half the country will call him crazy and re-elect President Obama. —Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 19 Aug. 2011

But, proving that ticket-splitting is alive and well in New Hampshire, four out of five voters also opted to re-elect Republican Gov. Chris Sununu. —Katie McInerney, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Nov. 2022

Noun

But even states that elect coroners have some oversight. —Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2024

Governor Mike Kehoe became the governor elect on Tuesday with a decisive victory over Democratic nominee Crystal Quade. —Matt Rybaltowski, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

Verb

Some suggest that the United States was not ready to elect a woman president. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024

Wall Street’s Trump reactions begin to diverge When Donald Trump was elected president Tuesday, markets soared. —Melvin Backman, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin electus, past participle of eligere to select, from e- + legere to choose — more at legend

Verb

Middle English, from Latin electus

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing elect

• president-elect

Kids Definition

elect

1 of 3 adjective

i-ˈlekt 

1

: carefully selected

2

: chosen for office but not yet holding office

president-elect

elect

2 of 3 plural noun

: a carefully chosen group

—used with the

elect

3 of 3 verb

1

: to select by vote for an office, position, or membership

elect a senator

2

: select entry 1, choose

we elected to stay home

Legal Definition

elect

transitive verb

1

: to select by vote for an office, position, or membership

2

: to make a selection of

elected her statutory share over the gift under the will

intransitive verb

: to choose an elective share

the right of a spouse to elect against the will