relegate

verb

rel·​e·​gate ˈre-lə-ˌgāt 

relegated; relegating

transitive verb

1

: to send into exile : banish

2

: assign: such as

a

: to assign to a place of insignificance or of oblivion : put out of sight or mind

b

: to assign to an appropriate place or situation on the basis of classification or appraisal

c

: to submit to someone or something for appropriate action : delegate

d

: to transfer (a sports team) to a lower ranking division

relegation

ˌre-lə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

Did you know?

Originally relegate meant "to send into exile, banish". So when you relegate an old sofa to the basement, you're sending it to home-decorating Siberia. When confronted with a matter that no one really wants to face, a chief executive may relegate it to a committee "for further study", which may manage to ignore it for years. It may be annoying to read a newspaper article about a pet project and find that your own contributions have been relegated to a short sentence near the end.

Synonyms

• banish
• deport
• displace
• exile
• expatriate
• transport

Choose the Right Synonym for relegate

commit, entrust, confide, consign, relegate mean to assign to a person or place for a definite purpose.

commit may express the general idea of delivering into another's charge or the special sense of transferring to a superior power or to a special place of custody.

committed the felon to prison

entrust implies committing with trust and confidence.

the president is entrusted with broad powers

confide implies entrusting with great assurance or reliance.

confided complete control of my affairs to my attorney

consign suggests removing from one's control with formality or finality.

consigned the damaging notes to the fire

relegate implies a consigning to a particular class or sphere often with a suggestion of getting rid of.

relegated to an obscure position in the company

Examples of relegate in a Sentence

The bill has been relegated to committee for discussion.

courtiers and generals who incurred the emperor's disfavor were soon relegated to the farther reaches of the empire

Recent Examples on the Web

This culinary style, so deeply rooted in the history of our city, had been relegated to a kind of purgatory. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 11 Dec. 2024

Elle Fanning is Sylvie Russo, a muse who politically activates Dylan at a key moment; the moniker may be different, but a Suze (Rotolo) by any other name smells just as sweet, and Fanning fleshes out a woman who’s too often been relegated to a footnote in Bob’s saga. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024

Georgia took down Texas in overtime in a classic SEC championship game, likely earning a first-round bye and relegating the Longhorns to playing a home game in two weeks. —Issy Ronald and Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024

And Moana 2, regardless of its inevitable box-office dominance, is the kind of perfunctory follow-up Disney used to relegate straight to VHS. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 28 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin relegatus, past participle of relegare, from re- + legare to send with a commission — more at legate

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

relegate

verb

rel·​e·​gate ˈrel-ə-ˌgāt 

relegated; relegating

1

: to remove or dismiss to a less important place

relegate some old books to the attic

2

: to refer or hand over for decision or carrying out

relegate that matter to a special committee

relegation

ˌrel-ə-ˈgā-shən 

noun