relegate
verb
rel·e·gate ˈre-lə-ˌgāt 
relegated; relegating
transitive verb
1
: to send into exile : banish
2
: assign: such as
a
: to assign to a place of insignificance or of oblivion : put out of sight or mind
b
: to assign to an appropriate place or situation on the basis of classification or appraisal
c
: to submit to someone or something for appropriate action : delegate
d
: to transfer (a sports team) to a lower ranking division
relegation
ˌre-lə-ˈgā-shən
noun 
Did you know?
Originally relegate meant "to send into exile, banish". So when you relegate an old sofa to the basement, you're sending it to home-decorating Siberia. When confronted with a matter that no one really wants to face, a chief executive may relegate it to a committee "for further study", which may manage to ignore it for years. It may be annoying to read a newspaper article about a pet project and find that your own contributions have been relegated to a short sentence near the end.
Synonyms
- banish
- deport
- displace
- exile
- expatriate
- transport
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The bill has been relegated to committee for discussion. courtiers and generals who incurred the emperor's disfavor were soon relegated to the farther reaches of the empire
Recent Examples on the Web And as for Eddie, a would-be leading man, his Asian features relegate him to voiceovers and bit parts, confinements reflecting another ugly facet of wartime xenophobia. 
Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2022 Reynolds should be back next week, which could relegate Hodge to the bench again. Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2022 Many brands are pushing back product updates that had been planned for Spring ’21 because such items would relegate Spring ’20 items to the clearance rack. Kelly Bastone, Outside Online, 24 Aug. 2020 Barring any major bombshells or revelations, the notion that Biden should relegate himself to one term doesn't make much sense on paper. Julian Zelizer, CNN, 16 June 2022 While the initiative across dozens of countries has helped to relegate the United States to a second-tier position in many places, the projects have also amplified tensions and added to a mounting debt crisis. New York Times, 25 July 2022 These days, users upgrade constantly and relegate old phones to desk drawers — or the trash bin. Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press, 22 Apr. 2022 Economists and world leaders believed that combined, the economic impact on the country relegate it to an economic pariah,ensure losses in the billions and perhaps even lead to a wholesale collapse of the country's financial system. Yvonne Lau, Fortune, 16 July 2022 But the war will likely relegate other priorities to the back burner. Eli Stokols, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2022 See More
Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2022 Reynolds should be back next week, which could relegate Hodge to the bench again. Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 3 Jan. 2022 Many brands are pushing back product updates that had been planned for Spring ’21 because such items would relegate Spring ’20 items to the clearance rack. Kelly Bastone, Outside Online, 24 Aug. 2020 Barring any major bombshells or revelations, the notion that Biden should relegate himself to one term doesn't make much sense on paper. Julian Zelizer, CNN, 16 June 2022 While the initiative across dozens of countries has helped to relegate the United States to a second-tier position in many places, the projects have also amplified tensions and added to a mounting debt crisis. New York Times, 25 July 2022 These days, users upgrade constantly and relegate old phones to desk drawers — or the trash bin. Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press, 22 Apr. 2022 Economists and world leaders believed that combined, the economic impact on the country relegate it to an economic pariah,ensure losses in the billions and perhaps even lead to a wholesale collapse of the country's financial system. Yvonne Lau, Fortune, 16 July 2022 But the war will likely relegate other priorities to the back burner. Eli Stokols, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin relegatus, past participle of relegare, from re- + legare to send with a commission — more at legate
First Known Use
1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1
relegation
noun
as in deportation
the forced removal from a homeland the relegation of Japanese-Americans to internment camps during World War II Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- deportation
- expulsion
- banishment
- displacement
- migration
- emigration
- exile
- expatriation
- dispersion
- evacuation
- extradition
- diaspora
- ejection
- ouster
- ostracism
- ethnic cleansing
- scattering
- transportation
- dispossession
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- return
- repatriation
- immigration