elect
B2formal, official, political, religious
Definition
Meaning
to choose someone for a position, especially in a political context, by voting; formally appointed but not yet in office
to choose or decide to do something; to make a selection from a range of possibilities; (in theology) chosen by God for salvation
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used for formal, official, or consequential choices. The past participle 'elect' often follows a title (e.g., president-elect) to denote status between election and inauguration.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is nearly identical. In political contexts, both use 'president-elect', 'prime minister-elect', etc. Slight preference for 'to elect to do something' (choose) in UK formal writing.
Connotations
Carries connotations of democratic process, formal appointment, and authority in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American English due to more frequent public elections for various offices.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[SUBJ] elect [OBJ] (as/to be) [POSITION][SUBJ] elect to do [INFINITIVE][POSITION]-elect (postpositive adjective)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “the chosen few”
- “the elect (theological)”
- “by popular demand/acclaim”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used for appointing board members, committee chairs, or union representatives.
Academic
Used in political science, history, and sociology texts discussing democratic processes.
Everyday
Most common in news reports about elections; less common in casual conversation about personal choices.
Technical
Used in legal and constitutional texts specifying election procedures.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The constituency will elect its new MP next Thursday.
- The committee elected to postpone the decision until more data was available.
- She was unanimously elected as chair of the governors' board.
American English
- Citizens will elect their state legislators in November.
- After careful consideration, he elected to take the early retirement package.
- The union members elected her their chief negotiator.
adjective
British English
- The president-elect will undertake a series of briefings before taking office.
- The bishop-elect is known for his charitable work.
American English
- The mayor-elect is already forming her transition team.
- The governor-elect gave a press conference outlining his priorities.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- People vote to elect a new government.
- The club will elect a new secretary at the next meeting.
- She was elected to the student council.
- The board of directors elected to diversify the company's investments.
- The newly elected official promised reform.
- In a surprising move, the party elected a relatively unknown figure as its leader.
- Having considered all options, we elected to pursue the more ethically sound, albeit costly, alternative.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'ELECTricity' – it powers the voting machines for an election.
Conceptual Metaphor
CHOOSING IS SELECTING A PATH (e.g., 'She elected to pursue medicine.'), AUTHORITY IS A GIVEN MANDATE (e.g., 'the elected government').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'select' or 'choose' for trivial choices. 'Elect' implies a formal, often public, decision-making process. The Russian 'избирать' is a good equivalent, but 'elect' is more specific.
- The '-elect' suffix (президент-избранник) has no perfect one-word equivalent in Russian and requires a phrase.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'elect' for simple, informal choices (e.g., 'I elected the red shirt.' – Incorrect).
- Confusing 'elect' (verb) with 'elect' (adjective/postpositive) as in 'president-elect'.
- Incorrect preposition: 'He was elected as president' (common but often considered redundant; 'He was elected president' is preferred in formal writing).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'elect' used correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Elect' is formal and implies a vote or official appointment. 'Choose' is general and common. 'Select' implies careful consideration from among several options.
Typically no, it is for choosing people for roles. For things or actions, use 'choose' or 'select'. The exception is the formal 'elect to do something'.
It denotes a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet started their term (e.g., president-elect).
It is common in speech but often considered redundant. Style guides usually recommend 'He was elected president' over 'He was elected as president'.