delegate
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /ˈdɛlɪɡət/noun
- /ˈdɛlɪˌɡeɪt/verb
US
- /ˈdɛləˌɡeɪt/
- /ˈdɛləɡət/
Description
- assign responsibility
- entrust
- represent
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.
Pattern
delegate + 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.
- 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.
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- delegatenounverb
Forms
- delegatespluralnounverb
- delegatedpast tenseverbnoun
- delegating-ing formverbnoun