delegation

[ del-i-gey-shuhn ]

noun

1. a group or body of delegates:

   Our club sent a delegation to the rally.

2. the body of delegates chosen to represent a political unit, as a state, in an assembly:

   the New Jersey delegation in Congress.

   Synonyms: commission

3. the act of delegating.
4. the state of being delegated.

delegation

/ ˌdɛlɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. a person or group chosen to represent another or others
2. the act of delegating or state of being delegated
3. politics all the members of Congress from one state

Other Word Forms

• nondel·e·gation noun
• predel·e·gation noun
• redel·e·gation noun
• subdel·e·gation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of delegation¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin dēlēgātiōn-, stem of dēlēgātiō “assignment, appointment,” equivalent to dēlēgāt(us) “assigned, appointed” ( delegate ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

Just after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's visit to the White House in February, it was rather telling that the UK delegation referred to what was being negotiated as an "economic deal".

From BBC

It is this "redistribution" that prompted the US delegation to pull out of the talks on Tuesday night.

From BBC

Since the US delegation's visit, both Greenland and Denmark have shown a united front, opposing a US annexation of the autonomous Danish territory.

From BBC

Its government said it would send a delegation to the US to negotiate a new deal, and it would look for new markets for its goods.

From BBC

The paper reported Israel had not verified the arrival of an official visit but in a statement the UK Foreign Office confirmed the group was part of a parliamentary delegation.

From BBC

Related Words

• commission
• contingent
• embassy
• gathering
• organization