Delegate: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Delegate verb. To hand a task or responsibility to someone else, usually someone junior.
How to say it
DEL-ih-gayt/ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (DEL). Forms: delegated.
Meanings
- To hand a task or responsibility to someone else, usually someone junior.
- As a noun: a person sent or chosen to represent others, as at a conference.
Delegate in a sentence
Managers who can’t delegate end up answering every email themselves at midnight.
She delegated the seating plan to her brother and regretted it instantly.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- entrust
- assign
- devolve
- pass on
Where delegate comes from
From Latin delegare, to send away or entrust.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
She _____ the seating plan to her brother and regretted it instantly.
- appraise
- quantify
- delegate
Show the answer
delegate: She delegated the seating plan to her brother and regretted it instantly.