DELEGATES Synonyms: 142 Similar and Opposite Words

delegates 1 of 2

noun

plural of delegate

as in ambassadors

a person sent on a mission to represent another the delegate had a list of concerns to discuss with the country's new prime minister

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as in representatives

a person who acts or does business for another the real estate developer sent a delegate to the town meeting to represent his interests

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delegates

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of delegate

as in commissions

to appoint as one's representative he delegated his son to go pick up the tickets for him

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hands

to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another a manager who is reluctant to delegate authority to subordinates

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of delegates

Noun

Earlier this year, youth advocates from the UNICEF Club at Montgomery Blair High School in Maryland met with state senators, delegates and staffers at the Annapolis State House and attended some committee hearings. — Maryanne Murray Buechner, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Addressing thousands of officials and delegates at the Great Hall of the People, Xi portrayed China as a country that was facing tough times, but one that would emerge unscathed. — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026 Its members included farmers, laborers, and reformers, and delegates included representatives from local unions and labor bodies. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026 Under new rules approved by the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee, the DNC would not seat any of a rogue state’s delegates to the national convention and impose a $270,000 fine. — Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026 This week, Cuba commemorated Castro with events including the International Book Fair, art exhibitions, concerts and gatherings of delegates from leftist organizations across the continent. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 What matters is how much of the personal work the shopper delegates. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Aug. 2026 Attendance of international industry professional delegates to the LFF has doubled over the last five years. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026 Just weeks before Myers Park finalized its name change, delegates to the SBC’s annual meeting overwhelmingly voted to advance a constitutional amendment formally barring churches with women pastors — a decision that drew national headlines. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Aug. 2026

Verb

Wilson Tamfuh, a public and international law professor at the University of Dschang in West Cameroon, said the country has institutions that can keep the government running when the president delegates responsibilities. — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026 Instead, Captain Pike delegates the investigation to Division 12, a mysterious branch of Starfleet that specializes in unexplained phenomena. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 30 July 2026 The memo delegates the Defense Secretary to use the Defense Production Act, which can be used to jumpstart production of key items. — Eleanor Watson, CBS News, 16 June 2026 According to Stern, there is also guardianship paperwork, which has been signed by the children’s mother, that delegates parental authority to Omar, who Stern says has acted as a liaison for the children on school and medical matters because their mother does not speak English, per Rochester First. — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026 Coyle also delegates various administrators representing each sport to keep lists of prospective coaches. — Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 4 Apr. 2026 In addition, as Professors Sam Ehrlich and Ryan Rodenberg recently explained in the Cardozo Law Review, there’s a potential non-delegation problem with legislation that delegates regulatory power to private athletic associations such as the NCAA or College Sports Commission. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Dec. 2025 In the United States, the federal government delegates the regulation of the practice of medicine to the states, which aren’t racing nearly fast enough right now to catch up with the galloping med spa industry. — Deanna Pai, Allure, 18 Nov. 2025 Fred Harran, the Republican sheriff of Bucks County, signed up in April for the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 287(g) program, which delegates some federal immigration responsibilities to local law enforcement departments. — Will McDuffie, ABC News, 13 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for delegates

Noun

Favier joined Dior in 2011 and worked closely with many of the fashion house’s high-profile ambassadors and clients, including Natalie Portman, Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence.

— Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz are ambassadors for Oura, the USTA’s first official wearable partner.

— Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of ambassadors

Noun

Entertainment Weekly reached out to representatives for Petersen but did not immediately hear back.

— Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Aug. 2026
Department representatives met with city council members during weekly budget hearings to present in-depth budget reports and answer questions from councilors.

— Gabriel Brito, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of representatives

Verb

At the same time, Niccolò also secretly commissions the openly gay upstart Michelangelo (Brennan Pickman-Thoon) to paint the Battle of Cascina.

— Charles Lewis III, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
Black Bear’s Wicker, based on author Ursula Wills-Jones’s short story, The Wicker Husband, follows a fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who commissions the local basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to weave her a husband (Skarsgård).

— Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of commissions

Verb

The consultant reasons by filling a notebook with calculations, then hands you a one-sentence answer, and keeps the notebook.

— Adam Fish, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
One day, a stranger hands you a tablet and asks you to identify the correct words in a passage or find information in a chart.

— Jennifer D. Kobrin, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of hands

Noun

Kushner was one of a trio of envoys meeting with al-Hayya, with officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey also there.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
When British envoys arrive, promising support for Rukumba’s independence from Uganda in exchange for access to the snow for scientific research, the village committee embraces the deal as progress.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of envoys

Noun

In his request for additional funding, Soptic said not funding more sheriff’s office personnel at this point could present serious safety concerns, including for inmates and deputies at the county’s jail.

— Sofi Zeman August 31, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
Gallegos was arrested by Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies in December 2020.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of deputies

Verb

The speaker of the House appoints the House parliamentarian; the Senate parliamentarian serves at the pleasure of the secretary of the Senate, who is elected by senators at the start of each Congress.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
The bankruptcy court appoints a trustee, who then sells off all of a person’s possessions, except what is covered by the various exemptions.

— Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of appoints

Verb

Xenex LightStrike Infections acquired inside hospitals remain a serious problem, especially when harmful germs survive on surfaces after a patient leaves a room.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Measles spreads through the air and can remain in a room for up to two hours after an infected person leaves.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of leaves

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delegates

delegating

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“Delegates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delegates. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of delegates

noun

verb

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