Standard Lemma guide

electorate

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ɪˈlɛktəɹət/
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ɪˈlɛktɹət/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 L EH1 K T ER0 AH0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: IH0 L EH1 K T R IH0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, politics

Examples

  • The votes have been counted and the electorate has spoken.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: constituency

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The office, or area of dominion, of an Elector (“a German prince entitled to elect the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire”); an electorship.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A geographical area represented by one or more elected officials; a constituency, an electoral district.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, New-Zealand

Topics: government, politics

Examples

  • The electorate of Finchley borders on the electorate of Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh, splitting the new housing estate of Royal Cupolas.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: division, riding, seat, ward

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the body of enfranchised citizens; those qualified to vote

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: citizenry, people

History

Etymology

From elector (“person eligible to vote in an election; German prince entitled to elect the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire”) + -ate (forms nouns denoting a rank or office, the concrete charge of it).

Across languages

Translations

66 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: էլեկտորատ (ēlektorat) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Armenian: ընտրազանգված (əntrazangvac) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Basque: hautesleria — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Belarusian: электара́т (eljektarát) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Belarusian: вы́баршчыкі (výbarščyki) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Bulgarian: електора́т (elektorát) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Bulgarian: избира́тели (izbiráteli) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Catalan: electorat — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Chinese Mandarin: 選民 /选民 (xuǎnmín) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Czech: elektorát — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Czech: voličstvo — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Czech: voliči — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Dutch: electoraat — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Dutch: kiezerspubliek — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Dutch: kiespubliek — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Esperanto: voĉdonantaro — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Estonian: elektoraat — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Finnish: äänestäjäkunta — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Finnish: äänestäjät — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Finnish: äänioikeutetut — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • French: électorat — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Friulian: eletorât — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Galician: electorado — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Georgian: ამომრჩევლები (amomrčevlebi) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Georgian: ელექტორატი (elekṭoraṭi) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • German: Wählerschaft — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • German: Wähler — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • German: Stimmvolk — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Greek: εκλογικό σώμα (eklogikó sóma) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Italian: elettorato — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Japanese: 有権者 (yūkensha) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Korean: 유권자 (yugwonja) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Latin: ēlectoratus — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Macedonian: електора́т (elektorát) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Macedonian: гласачи (glasači) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Polish: elektorat — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Portuguese: eleitorado — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Romanian: electorat — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Romanian: alegători — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Russian: электора́т (elektorát) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Russian: избира́тели (izbiráteli) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Serbo-Croatian: гласачи — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Serbo-Croatian: glasači — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Slovak: elektorát — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Slovak: voličstvo — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Slovak: voliči — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Slovene: volivci — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Spanish: electorado — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Swedish: väljare — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Swedish: väljarkår — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Swedish: valmannakår — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Swedish: valmanskår — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Ukrainian: електора́т (elektorát) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Ukrainian: ви́борці (výborci) — collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
  • Danish: kurfyrstendømme — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • Dutch: keurvorstendom — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • Finnish: elektoraatti — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • German: Kurfürstentum — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • Bavarian German: kuafiaschtndum — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • Greek: ελεκτοράτο (elektoráto) — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • Icelandic: kjörfurstadæmi — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • Polish: elektorat — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • Portuguese: eleitorado — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • Slovak: kurfirststvo — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • Swedish: kurfurstendöme — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
  • Ukrainian: курфю́рство (kurfjúrstvo) — office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Real reading context

electorate in complete knowledge articles