election, candidate, congress, manipulation, poll: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Upper-Intermediate set 68. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. election · noun/əˈlɛkʃən/

   a vote to select the winner of a position or political office

   The experienced politician in Africa believe that Atiku Abubakar who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, will win the presidential election next year.

   Synonyms: referandum, appointment

   Origin: Middle English: via Old French from Latin electio(n-), from eligere ‘pick out’ (see elect)

2. candidate · noun/ˈkæn(d)əˌdeɪt/

   a person being considered for a position, award, or election

   Before he was nominated as a candidate for president in September, he used to say that he is not a politician but a businessman.

   Synonyms: nominee, competitor

   Origin: early 17th century: from Latin candidatus ‘white-robed’, also denoting a candidate for office (who traditionally wore a white toga), from candidus ‘white’

3. congress · noun/ˈkɑŋɡrəs/

   a formal meeting of representatives or members of an organization

   Chief of Toyota Motors, Akio Toyoda attended the US Congress in order to provide a “sincere explanation” about the safety issues of the cars sold in the US market.

   Synonyms: assembly, committee

   Origin: late Middle English (denoting an encounter during battle): from Latin congressus, from congredi ‘meet’, from con- ‘together’ + gradi ‘walk’

4. manipulation · noun/məˌnɪpjəˈleɪʃən/

   the act of using power or influence especially for one's own advantage

   Deliberate political manipulation reinforced by the media has made the society more sensitive than it has even been.

   Synonyms: administration, control

   Origin: early 18th century: from French, from Latin manipulus ‘handful’

5. poll · noun/poʊl/

   an inquiry into public opinion conducted by interviewing a group of people

   The latest political polls indicate a close race at the next general election.

   Synonyms: census, survey

   Origin: Middle English (in the sense ‘head’): perhaps of Low German origin. The original sense was ‘head’, and hence ‘an individual person among a number’, from which developed the sense ‘number of people ascertained by counting of heads’ and then ‘counting of heads or of votes’ (17th century)