REPRESENTATIVE | Meaning In The Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of representative in English representativenoun [ C ] uk /ˌrep.rɪˈzen.tə.tɪv/ us /ˌrep.rɪˈzen.t̬ə.t̬ɪv/ Add to word list Add to word list B2 someone who speaks or does something officially for another person or group of people: The firm has representatives in every major city.  Representative someone who has been elected to the US House of Representatives

• A representative from the tour company will meet you at the check-in.
• He visited China in his official capacity as America's trade representative.
• We have representatives operating in most countries.
• In order to increase the number of female representatives, the selection committee decided to discriminate in favour of women for three years.
• We elected him as our representative.

Replacing and exchanging

• alternate
• alternatively
• bargain
• bargain something away phrasal verb
• change over phrasal verb
• compensation
• if I were you idiom
• in exchange for something
• in the name of something idiom
• insert
• instantiation
• redeem
• someone's answer to someone/something idiom
• spell
• stead
• step
• step into someone's shoes idiom
• step into the breach idiom
• sub out something phrasal verb
• substitute

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

International relations: United States politics & government representativeadjective uk /ˌrep.rɪˈzen.tə.tɪv/ us /ˌrep.rɪˈzen.t̬ə.t̬ɪv/

representative adjective (TYPICAL)

typical of, or the same as, others in a larger group of people or things: Are your views/opinions representative of all the workers here? a representative sample/cross-section/selection Typifying, illustrating and exemplifying

• analogical
• analogically
• analogy
• archetypal
• archetypically
• characterize
• illustratively
• initial stands for something
• instance
• instantiate
• mirror
• signalize
• stand for something phrasal verb
• stereotype
• sum
• sum (something/someone) up phrasal verb
• summation
• symptom
• territory
• token

See more results »

representative adjective (ACTING FOR)

A representative system of government is one in which people vote for politicians to represent them. Typifying, illustrating and exemplifying

• analogical
• analogically
• analogy
• archetypal
• archetypically
• characterize
• illustratively
• initial stands for something
• instance
• instantiate
• mirror
• signalize
• stand for something phrasal verb
• stereotype
• sum
• sum (something/someone) up phrasal verb
• summation
• symptom
• territory
• token

See more results » (Definition of representative from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

representative | American Dictionary

representativenoun [ C ] us /ˌrep·rɪˈzen·tə·t̬ɪv/ Add to word list Add to word list politics & government   (also Representative) (abbreviation Rep.) a member of the US House of Representatives; a congressman or congresswoman

representative noun [C] (ACT FOR)

a person who represents another person or a group: The company has representatives in most European capitals. politics & government A representative is also a member of a law-making group. representativeadjective [ not gradable ] us /ˌrep·rɪˈzen·tə·t̬ɪv/

representative adjective [not gradable] (DESCRIBE)

serving to describe, esp. a larger group of the same type: A good political poll is based on a representative sampling of voters. (Definition of representative from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

representative | Business English

representativenoun [ C ] uk /ˌreprɪˈzentətɪv/ us Add to word list Add to word list COMMERCE   (also sales representative); (also informal rep) someone whose job is to sell a company's products or services, especially by visiting or phoning customers: We'll increase our team of representatives to help meet sales targets. All shops are visited regularly by one of our sales representatives. a person who is chosen to speak or act for other people: Staff have been invited to elect a representative to attend management meetings. A representative of the oil company made a press statement.

See also

customer representative employee representative personal representative union representative representativeadjective uk /ˌreprɪˈzentətɪv/ us typical of a large group of people or things: How representative are the views of these customers? representative of sth These remarks are not representative of the views of management.  a representative sample (of sth) MARKETING a small group that contains the same mixture of people or things that is found in a bigger group, so that it is able to provide useful information about the bigger group : The survey was sent to a representative sample of US households. (Definition of representative from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of representative

representative Their governing body is commonly open to representatives of civil society, people who risk their reputation and assume legal responsibilities for the privilege of leadership. From the Cambridge English Corpus Conventions are at least in theory express agreements, voluntarily entered into between the heads of (or other representatives of) states. From the Cambridge English Corpus Now, clearly, liberal democratic states can and do use coercive means in order to implement policies that have been agreed amongst democratically elected representatives. From the Cambridge English Corpus Chiefs are the representatives of the orchestra; managers are in charge of management of the orchestra. From the Cambridge English Corpus By deploying the language of class, the author argues, artisans sought to present themselves as representatives of a broader working class. From the Cambridge English Corpus Once the inconvenience of this practice was discovered, the government began to name its representatives directly, choosing from its own ranks men of known competence. From the Cambridge English Corpus Neither representatives of kanganies nor labourers, who were also not yet formally organized during this period, formed a part of it. From the Cambridge English Corpus Thirdly, and quite distinct from anything said so far, there may be an argument for representation even if the representatives do appropriate the rents. From the Cambridge English Corpus Early modern authors practised an intellectual eclecticism, which frequently makes it difficult to describe them as representatives of one particular context or another. From the Cambridge English Corpus Rather than resist the implementation of new rules and practices, many chiefs have attempted to recast themselves as the ' authentic representatives ' of local communities. From the Cambridge English Corpus In these issues, representatives of indigenous peoples' organisations and states had different opinions and interpretations, which were discussed at length. From the Cambridge English Corpus As elected members of the legislature, elected representatives are expected to represent their voters in the process of lawmaking. From the Cambridge English Corpus He finds that both elected village heads and party representatives unambiguously acknowledge this. From the Cambridge English Corpus Throughout the nineteenth century crop reporters had been elected like representatives of townships. From the Cambridge English Corpus The former are often called representatives, the latter beneficiaries. From the Cambridge English Corpus See all examples of representative These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with representative

representative

These are words often used in combination with representative.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

appointed representativeWe nevertheless expect that rules will be made restricting what sort of principals an appointed representative may have. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0   at-large representativeHe was an at-large representative for all but his second term, during which he represented the 2nd congressional district. From Wikipedia This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.   authorized representativeFurthermore, a declaration of conformity of the device to these requirements has to be drawn up by the manufacturer or the authorized representative. From the Cambridge English Corpus   These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. See all collocations with representative What is the pronunciation of representative?

Translations of representative

in Chinese (Traditional) 代表, 代理人, 典型的… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 代表, 代理人, 典型的… See more in Spanish representante, representativo, representante [masculine-feminine… See more in Portuguese representante, representativo, representante [masculine-feminine]… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian प्रतिनिधी… See more 代表者, 代理人, （～を）代表する… See more temsilci, delege, temsil eden… See more représentant/-ante [masculine-feminine], député/-ée [masculine-feminine], représentatif/-ive… See more representant, representatiu… See more representatief, vertegenwoordigend, vertegenwoordiger… See more மற்றொரு நபர் அல்லது மக்கள் குழுவிற்காக அதிகாரப்பூர்வமாக ஏதாவது பேசும் அல்லது செய்யும் ஒருவர்… See more प्रतिनिधि, नुमाइंदा… See more પ્રતિનિધિ… See more representativ, karakteristisk, typisk… See more representativ, representant… See more contoh yang baik, perwakilan, wakil urus niaga… See more repräsentativ, parlamentarisch, der Vertreter / die Vertreterin… See more representant [masculine], kongressmedlem [neuter], representativ… See more نمائندہ… See more характерний, показовий, представницький… See more ప్రతినిధులు… See more প্রতিনিধি… See more reprezentativní, zastupitelský, zástupce… See more khas, contoh yang tepat, terpilih… See more เป็นตัวอย่าง, ซึ่งเป็นผู้แทน, ตัวแทน… See more tiêu biểu, đại diện, người đại diện của doanh nghiệp… See more przedstawiciel/ka, typowy, reprezentatywny… See more 대변인, (특정 단체나 사물을) 대표하는… See more rappresentante, delegato, -a… See more Need a translator?

Get a quick, free translation!

Translator tool

Browse

representable BETA representation representational representationally representative representative democracy representatively representativeness represented {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of representative

• congressman
• congresswoman
• sales representative
• non-representative
• customer representative
• employee representative
• personal representative

See all meanings

Word of the Day

sister city

UK /ˈsɪs.tə ˌsɪt.i/ US /ˈsɪs.tɚ ˌsɪt̬.i/

a town or city that shares planned activities and visits with a similar town in another country

About this

Blog

Red-hot and roasting: words for describing things that are hot.

December 24, 2025 Read More

New Words

quiet cracking December 22, 2025 More new words has been added to list To top AI Assistant Contents EnglishAmericanBusinessExamplesCollocationsTranslations AI Assistant {{#displayLoginPopup}} Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content: Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans Sign up now or Log in Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Create word lists and quizzes for free Sign up now or Log in {{/displayLoginPopup}} {{#displayClassicSurvey}} {{/displayClassicSurvey}}

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
• My profile
• +Plus help
• Log out

AI Assistant Dictionary Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English English–Danish Danish–English English–Dutch Dutch–English English–French French–English English–German German–English English–Indonesian Indonesian–English English–Italian Italian–English English–Japanese Japanese–English English–Norwegian Norwegian–English English–Polish Polish–English English–Portuguese Portuguese–English English–Spanish Spanish–English English–Swedish Swedish–English Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese Translate Grammar Thesaurus Pronunciation Cambridge Dictionary +Plus Games {{userName}}

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
• My profile
• +Plus help
• Log out

Log in / Sign up English (UK) Change English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Follow us Choose a dictionary

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• Translation Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries
  • English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
  • English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
  • English–Danish Danish–English
  • English–Dutch Dutch–English
  • English–French French–English
  • English–German German–English
  • English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
  • English–Italian Italian–English
  • English–Japanese Japanese–English
  • English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
  • English–Polish Polish–English
  • English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
  • English–Spanish Spanish–English
  • English–Swedish Swedish–English
  Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists

Choose your language English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Contents

• English   
  • Noun 
    • representative
    • Representative
  • Adjective 
    • representative (TYPICAL)
    • representative (ACTING FOR)
• American   
  • Noun 
    • representative (ACT FOR)
  • Adjective 
    • representative (DESCRIBE)
• Business   Noun
  • Adjective 
    • representative
    • a representative sample (of sth)
• Examples
• Collocations

• Translations
• Grammar
• All translations

My word lists

To add representative to a word list please sign up or log in.

Sign up or Log in My word lists

Add representative to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{name}} More Go to your word lists {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} Tell us about this example sentence: The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}}