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elect

verb · noun · adjective

Simple meaning

To choose or make a decision.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ihlehkt

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ɪˈlɛkt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To choose or make a decision (to do something).

    “I elected to have my funds deposited automatically.”

noun

  1. One chosen or set apart.

adjective

  1. Chosen; taken by preference from among two or more.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To choose or make a decision (to do something).

Used this way, elect is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Heard in a sentence
“I elected to have my funds deposited automatically.”
Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Usage note

It most often appears in the pattern “elect to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.

Natural pattern: elect to …

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use elect

  • “We elected him chairman of the board.”verb
  • “I elected to have my funds deposited automatically.”verb
  • “One of the elect who have power inside the government.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

president electelect two

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • electedadjectiveInflected form

    Subject to popular election.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • electornounPerson or profession

    A citizen who has a legal right to vote.

  • electivenounDerived noun

    A course that the student can select from among alternatives.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.