representative
Other forms: representatives; representatively
If you're representative of some group, you're typical, you’re a lot like most of the others. You might also be a representative for your group; you were elected to act on behalf of those you represent.
The U.S. and many other democracies have representative governments, in which voters elect people to act on their behalf — to represent them. In the U.S., the House of Representatives is the largest legislative body. Its members — congressmen and congresswomen — are elected by the voters of their districts. These representatives are supposed to listen to the views of the people from their districts and act in their best interests.
Definitions of representative
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serving to represent or typify“representative moviegoers”“a representative modern play”synonyms:typicalexhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category
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standing for something else“the bald eagle is representative of the United States”synonyms:antonyms:nonrepresentativenot standing for something else
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being or characteristic of government by representation in which citizens exercise power through elected officers and representatives“representative government as defined by Abraham Lincoln is government of the people, by the people, for the people”synonyms:democraticcharacterized by or advocating or based upon the principles of democracy or social equality
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a person who represents otherstypes:agenta representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizationsaldermana member of a municipal legislative body (as a city council)assemblymansomeone who is a member of a legislative assemblyassemblywomana woman assemblymandelegatea person appointed or elected to represent otherschief of state, head of statethe chief public representative of a country who may also be the head of governmentpersonal representativea person who manages the affairs of anotherresident commissionerthe representative of Puerto Rico in the United States House of Representativesunion representativea representative for a labor unionbusiness agentan agent who handles business affairs for another; especially one who deals with employersliterary agentan agent who represents an author in dealings with publishersapostolic delegate(Roman Catholic Church) a representative of the Holy See in a country that has no formal diplomatic relations with itbaileethe agent to whom property involved in a bailment is deliveredPM, Prime Minister, premierthe person who holds the position of head of the government in the United Kingdomemployment agentsomeone who runs an employment agencyfreight agentan employee of a freight carrier who directs the receipt and delivery of goodsgovernment agenta representative or official of a government or administrative department of a governmenthandleran agent who handles something or someonelegal representativea personal representative with legal standing (as by power of attorney or the executor of a will)mill agentthe responsible official at a mill that is under absentee ownershipnext friend(law) a person who acts on behalf of an infant or disabled personparliamentary agenta person who is employed to look after the affairs of businesses that are affected by legislation of the British Parliamentpresidentthe chief executive of a republicChief Executive, President, President of the United States, United States Presidentthe person who holds the office of head of state of the United States governmentpurchasing agentan agent who purchases goods or services for anotherintelligence agent, intelligence officer, operative, secret agenta person secretly employed in espionage for a governmentshipping agentthe agent of a shipownershoppera commercial agent who shops at the competitor's store in order to compare their prices and merchandise with those of the store that employs hershop steward, stewarda union member who is elected to represent fellow workers in negotiating with managementspecial agentsomeone whose authority is limited to the special undertaking they have been instructed to performtalent agentan agent who represents performersgeneral agent, universal agentsomeone authorized to transact every kind of business for the principalwalking delegatea union representative who visits workers at their jobs to see whether agreements are observedtype of:negotiant, negotiator, treatersomeone who negotiates (confers with others in order to reach a settlement)
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an advocate who represents someone else's policy or purposesynonyms: interpreter, spokesperson, voicetypes:ambassadoran informal representativeflack, flack catcher, flak, flak catchera slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employerspokesmana male spokespersonspokeswomana female spokespersonbagman, commercial traveler, commercial traveller, roadman, traveling salesman, travelling salesmana salesman who travels to call on customerstallymanone who sells goods on the installment plan
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a member of the United States House of Representativessynonyms: congressman, congresswomantypes:repinformal abbreviation of `representative'type of:legislatorsomeone who makes or enacts laws
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an item of information that is typical of a class or groupsynonyms: example, illustration, instancetypes:quintessencethe most typical example or representative of a typesamplea small part of something intended as representative of the wholespecimenan example regarded as typical of its classcoupona test sample of some substancecross sectiona sample meant to be representative of a whole populationgrab samplea single sample or measurement taken at a specific time or over as short a period as feasiblerandom samplea sample grabbed at randomtastinga small amount (especially of food or wine)type of:informationknowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction
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