Meanings
plural by-elections · alternative bye-election · alternative byelection
- An election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between general elections.
Coordinate term: general election
2 more examples
In 2015, he was selected as candidate for that year's by-election for the Oldham West and Royton seat. He won with 62% of the vote.
2020 June 17, Jim McMahon tells Richard Clinnick, “Stepping out of the shadows”, in Rail, page 39The ANC has accused the IFP of bussing in voters from other wards to vote during the recent Newcastle Municipality by-election won by the IFP.
2024 March 14, Clive Ndou, “ANC set to open case against ‘ghost IFP voters’”, in The WitnessSynonyms: bypoll, special election
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between general elections.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From by- (“side, secondary, ancillary”) + election.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اِنْتِخَابَات تَكْمِيلِيَّة
- اِنْتِخَابَات تَكْمِيلِيَّة (intiḵābāt takmīliyya)election to fill a vacant political office
Bengali উপনির্বাচন
- উপনির্বাচন (uponirbacon)election to fill a vacant political office
Bulgarian частични избори
- частични избори (častični izbori)election to fill a vacant political office
Catalan elecció parcial
- elecció parcialelection to fill a vacant political office
Chinese Cantonese 補選 /补选
- 補選 /补选 (bou² syun²)election to fill a vacant political office
Chinese Mandarin 補選 /补选
- 補選 /补选 (bǔxuǎn)election to fill a vacant political office
Czech doplňovací volby
- doplňovací volbyelection to fill a vacant political office
Danish suppleringsvalg
- suppleringsvalgelection to fill a vacant political office
Dutch tussentijdse verkiezing
- tussentijdse verkiezingelection to fill a vacant political office
Finnish täydennysvaali
- täydennysvaalielection to fill a vacant political office
French élection partielle
- élection partielleelection to fill a vacant political office
German Ersatzwahl, Nachwahl
- Ersatzwahlelection to fill a vacant political office
- Nachwahlelection to fill a vacant political office
Hebrew בחירות ביניים
- בחירות ביניים (b'khirót beinayim)election to fill a vacant political office
Hindi उपचुनाव
- उपचुनाव (upcunāv)election to fill a vacant political office
Hungarian pótválasztás
- pótválasztáselection to fill a vacant political office
Indonesian pemilihan sela, pemilihan umum sela
- pemilihan selaelection to fill a vacant political office
- pemilihan umum selaelection to fill a vacant political office
Irish fothoghchán
- fothoghchánelection to fill a vacant political office
Italian elezioni suppletive, elezioni supplementari
- elezioni suppletiveelection to fill a vacant political office
- elezioni supplementarielection to fill a vacant political office
Japanese 補欠選挙
- 補欠選挙 (hoketsu senkyo)election to fill a vacant political office
Korean 재보궐선거
- 재보궐선거 (jaebogwolseon'geo)election to fill a vacant political office
Malay pilihan raya kecil
- pilihan raya kecilelection to fill a vacant political office
Norwegian Bokmål suppleringsvalg
- suppleringsvalgelection to fill a vacant political office
Persian انتخابات میاندورهای
- انتخابات میاندورهای (entexâbât miyândorâhi)election to fill a vacant political office
Polish wybory uzupełniające
- wybory uzupełniająceelection to fill a vacant political office
Portuguese eleição suplementar
- eleição suplementarelection to fill a vacant political office
Scottish Gaelic frith-thaghadh, fo-thaghadh
- frith-thaghadhelection to fill a vacant political office
- fo-thaghadhelection to fill a vacant political office
Spanish elección parcial
- elección parcialelection to fill a vacant political office
Swedish fyllnadsval
- fyllnadsvalelection to fill a vacant political office
Turkish ara seçim
- ara seçimelection to fill a vacant political office
Urdu ضمنی انتخابات
- ضمنی انتخابات (zimnī intixābāt)election to fill a vacant political office
Welsh etholiad achlysurol, is-etholiad
- etholiad achlysurolelection to fill a vacant political office
- is-etholiadelection to fill a vacant political office
Yiddish בײַוואַלן
- בײַוואַלן (bayvaln)election to fill a vacant political office
Cite this entry
by-election. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by-election
“by-election.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by-election. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “by-election,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by-election.
Source: by-election on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.