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
plural elect
1
: one chosen or set apart (as by divine favor)
2
elects plural
: a select or exclusive group of people
elected; electing; elects
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
: to make a selection
Synonyms
Adjective
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
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
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
Solcyré Burga, TIME, 28 Oct. 2024
The 2024 general elect ion will take place Tuesday, Nov. 5.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for elect 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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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
If the House of Representatives does not elect a president by Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, then the Vice-President elect becomes the interim President until the House comes to a decision.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 28 Oct. 2024
The 2024 general elect ion will take place Tuesday, Nov. 5.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Oct. 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
See all Example Sentences for elect
Articles Related to elect
Dictionary Entries Near elect
Cite this Entry
“Elect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elect. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
elect
1 of 3 adjective1
: 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 verb1
: to select by vote for an office, position, or membership
elect a senator
2
: select entry 1, choose
we elected to stay home
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