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 Words From

• 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

Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest-serving Republican member of California’s congressional delegation, will return to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Newsom is set to fly out Monday morning and, once at the Capitol, meet this week with members of California’s congressional delegation and key officials in the Biden-Harris administration.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite having the second largest Republican congressional delegation in the country, Mr Goodman says Florida has “notoriously been snubbed” when it comes to having a seat at the leadership table.

From BBC

The television host was eventually defeated by Senator John Fetterman, who McCormick will join in the Pennsylvania delegation next year.

From Salon

Leading a large delegation of officials and business figures, Min Aung Hlaing arrived on Tuesday in Kunming, a city in the province of Yunnan, which shares a long border with Myanmar.

From BBC

Related Words

• commission
• contingent
• embassy
• gathering
• organization