WordGarden.iodelegate
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /ˈdɛlɪɡət/noun
US
- /ˈdɛləˌɡeɪt/
Meanings
Verb
to give a task, responsibility, or decision-making power to someone else
to appoint or send someone as a representative
Noun
a person chosen to represent a group at a meeting, convention, or assembly
in programming, a callable reference or helper object that acts on behalf of another component
Beyond the definition
Imagine you're the captain of a ship, but you can't steer and navigate and manage the crew all at once! You need to delegate – to assign tasks to trusted members of your team. That's what it means to delegate: entrusting someone else with responsibility for a specific job.
A politician might be a delegate representing their constituents, meaning they're entrusted to act on behalf of the people who elected them. You can also delegate authority – give someone the power to make decisions. If your boss asks you to handle a project while she's on vacation, she's delegating responsibility to you! It's about trusting others and sharing the workload.
To delegate means to entrust a task or responsibility to another person, often a colleague or subordinate but not only. It's more than just asking for help; it means giving someone the authority and accountability to complete something on your behalf.
Think of a busy CEO who can't possibly handle every detail of their company. They delegate tasks like marketing campaigns or financial reports to their team members, allowing them to focus on bigger-picture strategy. This isn't just about lightening the load; it's about empowering others and fostering growth within an organization.
The word can also mean the person appointed as a representative of a group or organization – a delegate. In politics, delegates are often chosen to represent people at a convention or meeting. They're entrusted with voicing those people's opinions and concerns.
You can delegate tasks in your personal life too! Perhaps you delegate grocery shopping to your partner, or ask a friend to pick up dry cleaning for you. It's about recognizing that you don't have to do everything yourself and trusting others to contribute.
So whether it's a CEO assigning projects, a politician representing voters, or simply sharing chores with family, delegate is all about entrusting responsibility and empowering others to take action.
Examples
- 1
Administrative tasks
She delegated the scheduling to her assistant.
- 2
Workload management
If your workload is too heavy, learn to delegate instead of doing everything yourself.
- 3
Decision-making
The company has delegated more decision-making to local teams.
- Patterndelegate + task/power to + person/group
give them the job or authority to handle it
- 4
Responsibility
He can delegate the task, but he still has to make sure it gets done.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Conference representative
Each branch sent a delegate to the national conference.
- 6
Student representative
She was elected as the student delegate for the meeting with the principal.
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
- retain
- micromanage
Do not confuse
Used with (collocations)
- delegate a task
- delegate authority
- delegate responsibility
- delegate to someone
Word family
Explore
- chain of command
- accountability
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- delegatenounverb
Forms
- delegatespluralnounverb
- delegatedpast tenseverbnoun
- delegating-ing formverbnoun