1
a
singular or plural in construction
: the choice part : cream
the elite of the entertainment world
b
singular or plural in construction
: the best of a class
superachievers who dominate the computer elite—
Marilyn Chase
Marilyn Chase
c
singular or plural in construction
: the socially superior part of society
how the French-speaking elite … was changing—Economist
Economist
d
: a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence
members of the ruling elite
e
: a member of such an elite
—usually used in plural
the elites …, pursuing their studies in Europe—Robert Wernick
Robert Wernick2
: a typewriter type providing 12 characters to the linear inch
: of, relating to, serving, or being part of an elite
seeking to attain elite status
an elite group
an elite institution/school
often
: superior in quality, rank, skill, etc.
an elite performer
an elite athlete
an athlete with elite skills
The elite chess players of today are of no school. They hail from all over the world … —Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov Synonyms
Examples of elite in a Sentence
Noun
the winners of this science award represent the elite of our high schools
the country's elite owned or controlled most of the wealth
Recent Examples on the WebBryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2024
Airlines won't pick passengers out of a hat, though — these upgrades are typically offered to elites first.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2024
Biden, who landed at Moffett Field on Thursday evening, planned to meet and greet Silicon Valley’s tech elite at two megawatt fundraisers on Friday: one in Portola Valley at the home of venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, and the other with former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer in Palo Alto.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 10 May 2024
Catering to the selective tastes of New York's elite, Continuum offers an array of personalized services designed to enhance the physical and mental well-being of its members.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
The fabric also stood out because of its connection to the elite, according to the release.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024
The lake, which is just about two hours from Milan, has long been the playground of Hollywood’s elite, due to its sparkling waters, famed hotels, and general embodiment of la dolce vita.
—Juliet Izon, Glamour, 3 May 2024
Tall tales are common on TikTok, where a flimsy patchwork of assumptions and coincidences — often concerning the schemes of a nefarious echelon of elites — is illustrated by dramatic images generated by artificial intelligence and spooky musical tracks.
—New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Editors’ Picks There’s History in These Cheese Pulls But the men share right-wing, nationalist politics and a vision for how the Republican Party should root out vestiges of old elites.
—Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Paolo Confino, Fortune, 13 May 2024
This site has free options, as well as premium and elite level subscriptions, at $39 and $199 per year, respectively.
—Deanna Taylor, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2024
Upgrades for paying passengers do not depend on wardrobe choices; they're primarily based on elite status.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2024
In effect, the recent storm suggests the extent to which elite universities have been unprepared for the political and cultural changes that accompany a widening of the aperture.
—Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, 10 May 2024
Additionally, travelers who get this card will also receive automatic elite status—Gold status with Qatar Privilege Club—for the first year of card membership.
—Chris Dong, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2024
But the non-answers given by the presidents of three elite American universities triggered a fierce backlash that stretched from their campuses to the White House and would prompt two of them to resign.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
Well known as an astute and prolific collector of watches, Sylvester Stallone offers 11 elite watches to lead Sotheby’s Important Watches Auction on June 5th.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 6 May 2024
Catcher Kyle McCann, who was sorting through text messages after his game-winning two-run home run against Baltimore, thinks the back end of the A’s bullpen can be elite.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024
Noun
The Padres lost All-Star Juan Soto, Cy Young winner Blake Snell, elite closer Josh Hader, solid rotation anchors Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, versatile arm Nick Martinez, Gold Glove center fielder Trent Grisham and the the sky did fall onto Petco Park.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2024
Airlines won't pick passengers out of a hat, though — these upgrades are typically offered to elites first.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2024
Biden, who landed at Moffett Field on Thursday evening, planned to meet and greet Silicon Valley’s tech elite at two megawatt fundraisers on Friday: one in Portola Valley at the home of venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, and the other with former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer in Palo Alto.
—Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 10 May 2024
Catering to the selective tastes of New York's elite, Continuum offers an array of personalized services designed to enhance the physical and mental well-being of its members.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
The fabric also stood out because of its connection to the elite, according to the release.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024
The lake, which is just about two hours from Milan, has long been the playground of Hollywood’s elite, due to its sparkling waters, famed hotels, and general embodiment of la dolce vita.
—Juliet Izon, Glamour, 3 May 2024
Tall tales are common on TikTok, where a flimsy patchwork of assumptions and coincidences — often concerning the schemes of a nefarious echelon of elites — is illustrated by dramatic images generated by artificial intelligence and spooky musical tracks.
—New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Editors’ Picks There’s History in These Cheese Pulls But the men share right-wing, nationalist politics and a vision for how the Republican Party should root out vestiges of old elites.
—Sharon Lafraniere, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The two companies, both based in California, are a sort of avatar for anxieties about cultural impositions from elite enclaves on the coasts that are the basis of some of the politics behind culture war issues.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 13 May 2024
This site has free options, as well as premium and elite level subscriptions, at $39 and $199 per year, respectively.
—Deanna Taylor, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2024
Upgrades for paying passengers do not depend on wardrobe choices; they're primarily based on elite status.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2024
In effect, the recent storm suggests the extent to which elite universities have been unprepared for the political and cultural changes that accompany a widening of the aperture.
—Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, 10 May 2024
Additionally, travelers who get this card will also receive automatic elite status—Gold status with Qatar Privilege Club—for the first year of card membership.
—Chris Dong, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2024
But the non-answers given by the presidents of three elite American universities triggered a fierce backlash that stretched from their campuses to the White House and would prompt two of them to resign.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
Well known as an astute and prolific collector of watches, Sylvester Stallone offers 11 elite watches to lead Sotheby’s Important Watches Auction on June 5th.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 6 May 2024
Catcher Kyle McCann, who was sorting through text messages after his game-winning two-run home run against Baltimore, thinks the back end of the A’s bullpen can be elite.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Elite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elite. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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