Meanings
plural electorates
- collectivegovernmentThe collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote.
The votes have been counted and the electorate has spoken.
2 more examples
Incoming governments normally announce that they will seek to serve the whole electorate. Now, playing out in triplicate across the UK is a "divide and rule" approach to leadership, straight from Donald Trump's playbook: each faction consolidating its base, choosing an enemy and accusing opponents of treason in the hope that in a multiparty system they can win with a minority of votes.
2019 August 10, Gordon Brown, “The very idea of a United Kingdom is being torn apart by toxic nationalism”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Aug 2022His cerebral candidacy, inspired by European and North American political and economic philosophers, and his very appearance, with his light-colored skin, trim physique and penchant for preppy sweaters, contrasted with an electorate largely made up of impoverished Quechua-speaking people and Spanish-speaking mestizos.
2025 April 13, Simon Romero, “Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel-Winning Peruvian Novelist, Dies at 89”, in The New York TimesSynonyms: constituency
- historicalgovernmentThe office, or area of dominion, of an Elector (“a German prince entitled to elect the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire”); an electorship.
[…] Brandenburg, emerging around what would become Berlin, acquired distinct status as an electorate in the mid-fourteenth century.
2016, Peter H[amish] Wilson, “Lands”, in Heart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire, Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, →ISBN, part II (Belonging), page 1872 more examples
[I]n case Hanover should be attacked on the ground of a German quarrel, unconnected with English politics, we were not bound to defend her; yet, if a power at war with England should think fit to consider that electorate as part of the king's dominions, which perhaps according to the law of nations might be done, our honour must require that it should be defended against such an attack.
1827, Henry Hallam, “On the Reign of William II”, in The Constitutional History of England from the Accession of Henry VII. to the Death of George II. […], volume II, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, footnote †, page 534The line of demarcation [between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism] ran, as it still runs, through the midst of the Netherlands, of Germany, and of Switzerland, dividing province from province, electorate from electorate, and canton from canton.
1837 July, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “Lord Bacon [Francis Bacon]. […]”, in Critical and Historical Essays, Contributed to the Edinburgh Review. […], 2nd edition, volume II, London: […] Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, […], published 1843, →OCLC, page 305 - AustraliaNew ZealandgovernmentA geographical area represented by one or more elected officials; a constituency, an electoral district.
The electorate of Finchley borders on the electorate of Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh, splitting the new housing estate of Royal Cupolas.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote.
nounA geographical area represented by one or more elected officials; a constituency, an electoral district.
Origin
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).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque hautesleria
- hautesleriacollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Bulgarian електора́т, избира́тели
- електора́т (elektorát)collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- избира́тели (izbiráteli)collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Catalan electorat
- electoratcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Chinese Mandarin 選民 /选民
- 選民 /选民 (xuǎnmín)collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Czech elektorát, voličstvo
- elektorátcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- voličstvocollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- voličicollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Danish kurfyrstendømme
- kurfyrstendømmeoffice, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Dutch electoraat, kiezerspubliek
- electoraatcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- kiezerspubliekcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- kiespubliekcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- keurvorstendomoffice, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Esperanto voĉdonantaro
- voĉdonantarocollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Estonian elektoraat
- elektoraatcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Finnish äänestäjäkunta, äänestäjät
- äänestäjäkuntacollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- äänestäjätcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- äänioikeutetutcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- elektoraattioffice, or area of dominion, of an Elector
French électorat
- électoratcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
German Wählerschaft, Wähler
- Wählerschaftcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- Wählercollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- Stimmvolkcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- Kurfürstentumoffice, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Greek εκλογικό σώμα, ελεκτοράτο
- εκλογικό σώμα (eklogikó sóma)collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- ελεκτοράτο (elektoráto)office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Hindi कार्यक्षेत्र
- कार्यक्षेत्र (kāryakṣetra)office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Icelandic kjörfurstadæmi
- kjörfurstadæmioffice, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Italian elettorato
- elettoratocollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Japanese 有権者
- 有権者 (yūkensha)collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Korean 유권자
- 유권자 (yugwonja)collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Latin ēlectoratus
- ēlectoratuscollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Polish elektorat, elektorat
- elektoratcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- elektoratoffice, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Portuguese eleitorado, eleitorado
- eleitoradocollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- eleitoradooffice, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Romanian electorat, alegători
- electoratcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- alegătoricollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Russian электора́т, избира́тели
- электора́т (elektorát)collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- избира́тели (izbiráteli)collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Slovak elektorát, voličstvo
- elektorátcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- voličstvocollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- voličicollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- kurfirststvooffice, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Spanish electorado
- electoradocollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Swedish väljare, väljarkår
- väljarecollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- väljarkårcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- valmannakårcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- valmanskårcollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- kurfurstendömeoffice, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Ukrainian електора́т, ви́борці
- електора́т (elektorát)collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- ви́борці (výborci)collective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
- курфю́рство (kurfjúrstvo)office, or area of dominion, of an Elector
Vietnamese cử tri
- cử tricollective people of a country, state, or electoral district who are entitled to vote
Cite this entry
electorate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electorate
“electorate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electorate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “electorate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electorate.
Source: electorate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.