Meaning & use
representatives
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“representatives” is a form of “representative”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
People chosen or sent to speak and act for a group, company or area.
Grammar: Plural of representative: the representatives voted.
Patterns
- representatives of something
- representatives from something
Student representatives met the principal to discuss the schedule.
Representatives from both companies signed the deal.
Union representatives asked for better safety rules.
nounpluralAmerican
Elected members of a legislature, especially in the lower house of the United States Congress.
Grammar: Often capitalized in titles: Representatives.
Patterns
- the House of Representatives
The House of Representatives passed the budget.
Representatives returned to their districts for the holiday.
Several representatives questioned the plan.
nounpluralbusiness
Employees who sell or deal with customers for a business.
Grammar: Often with sales or customer: sales representatives.
Patterns
- representatives of a company
Customer representatives are available around the clock.
Sales representatives visited every shop in town.
The firm hired two new representatives.
Word forms
| singular | representative |
|---|
Common combinations
- elected representatives
- Elected representatives answered questions at the town hall.
- sales representatives
- Sales representatives are paid partly on commission.
- union representatives
- Union representatives negotiated overtime pay.
- company representatives
- Company representatives attended the trade fair.
- student representatives
- Student representatives joined the school board.
Synonyms and how they differ
- delegates
- Delegates are sent to a meeting with specific instructions, while representatives may have broader authority.
- agents
- Agents act for a person or company in business deals, often with a commission.
- spokespeople
- Spokespeople only speak for a group and do not necessarily make decisions.
- envoys
- Envoys are official messengers sent between governments.
Opposites
Word family
- represent verb
- to act or speak for
- representation noun
- the act of representing
- representative adjective
- typical of a group
- misrepresent verb
- to give a false picture
Commonly confused: representatives or representatives vs representations?
representatives vs representatives vs representations
Representatives are people; representations are pictures, descriptions or statements.
Practice
The residents chose three ___ to speak for them at the planning meeting.
Choose one answer.
Representatives are people who speak for others; representations means images or statements, and the other forms are verbs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “representatives”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.