delegate — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A person authorized to act as representative for another; a deputy.

2. A representative at a conference, etc.

3. An appointed representative in some legislative bodies.

   Usage

   • US usage

4. A type of variable storing a reference to a method with a particular signature, analogous to a function pointer.

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Historically, all viable frameworks have always provided a mechanism to implement callbacks. C# goes one step further and encapsulates callbacks into callable objects called delegates.

5. A member of a governmental legislature who lacks voting power.

   Examples

   The house of delegates in apartheid-era South Africa lacked any real voting power.

Verb

1. To commit tasks and responsibilities to others, especially subordinates.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   New Zealand Prime Minister John Key was perceived to delegate effectively. Wayne Mapp, a minister under Key observed he had 'a different style than the traditional style of New Zealand political management. He delegates in the manner of a chief executive, and lets ministers get on with their jobs' (Mapp 2014).

2. To commit (a task or responsibility) to someone, especially a subordinate.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Synonyms

   turn over

   Examples

   The war on Covid-19 was delegated to the health secretary, Matt Hancock, a paralysed NHS and scientists publicly feuding over dud data.

3. To appoint (someone) as one's representative.

   Usage

   • Transitive

4. (of a subdomain) To give away authority over a subdomain; to allow someone else to create sub-subdomains of a subdomain of one's own.

   Usage

   • Internet
   • Transitive

Adjective

1. delegated

   Usage

   • not-comparable
   • Obsolete
   • participle
   • past

2. Acting as a delegate, delegated; of, pertaining to a delegate

   Usage

   • adjective
   • not-comparable
   • Obsolete

Noun

1. a person appointed or elected to represent others

   Broader terms

   representative

Verb

1. transfer power to someone

   Synonyms

   depute

   Broader terms

   designatedeputeassign

2. give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)

   Synonyms

   designatedeputeassign

   Broader terms

   appointcharge