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Glite Dictionary
🗳️ A final vote 💧 Flowing water
runoff

runoff

26 5.5
A final vote between the top two candidates when no one wins the first election
  • noun
  • /ˈrʌnˌɔf/
  • US
translation icon : segunda vuelta
  • The city will hold a runoff election next month to finalize the mayoral race.
  • runoff election
  • second-round runoff
  • runoff round

I can't remember, but on Tuesday there was this big runoff election down in Georgia.

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Examples

  • Edwards decided not to oppose Roemer in the runoff, resulting in his first electoral defeat.

    Academic text (2017)

  • With 24 candidates running for the five positions, a Dec. 4 runoff election likely will be necessary.

    Blog text (2)

  • We're going to a runoff election.

    War Machine (2017)

  • Is it video from the presidential election, the runoff election, or both?

    2000 Mules (2022)

  • The winner of the runoff election would be the one with the highest votes.

    Academic text (1992)

  • If it ends up being a Trump Biden runoff, what do you think happens, especially if Trump wins?

    Tom Bilyeu

  • If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held.

    Blog text (3)

  • Nelson encouraged his supporters to get out the vote for the runoff against Parker.

    Blog text (25)

  • I can't remember, but on Tuesday there was this big runoff election down in Georgia.

    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  • The party's future now rides on how Megawati fares in the September runoff.

    Academic text (2004)

Synonyms

election
vsrunoff
∞ 1.0

A formal process where people vote to choose someone for public office

is a final vote held after a previous vote failed to decide a winner

Surface Forms

runoff singular
runoffs plural

Morphology

runoff = run + off (semi-transparent) = run + off

The electoral sense is a specific extension ('a second/deciding round') that is related to 'run'+'off' but not fully predictable for learners.

Etymology

Runoff for an election comes from the words run and off, like a second 'run' that happens 'off' after the first vote did not choose a winner. So a runoff is a new race between the top candidates to decide the final winner.