nominate
Americanverb (used with object)
adjective
verb
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to propose as a candidate, esp for an elective office
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to appoint to an office or position
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to name (someone) to act on one's behalf, esp to conceal one's identity
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(intr) to stand as a candidate in an election
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archaic to name, entitle, or designate
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has nominatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have nominatedperfect
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have been nominatingperfect progressive
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are nominatingprogressive
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am nominatingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been nominatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is nominatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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nominatessingular 3rd person
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nominatingparticiple
Past
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had nominatedperfect
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was nominatingprogressive singular
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had been nominatingperfect progressive
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were nominatingprogressive plural
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nominatedparticiple
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nominatedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of nominate
1475–85; < Latin nōminātus (past participle of nōmināre to name, call by name), equivalent to nōmin- (stem of nōmen; see nomen) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
When you suggest a person for a position in the government, or propose a theme for your school's prom, you nominate that person or idea, especially if it's done in an official way. In the United States, political parties hold primary elections and conventions to nominate candidates for president. The word nominate originally meant "to call by name," from the Latin word for "name," nomen , but by 1600 it began to be used to talk about politics.
Vocabulary lists containing nominate
Bud, Not Buddy
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And the Oscar Goes to... Award-worthy Words
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Iroquois Constitution
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Can the public nominate politicians to send to the colony?
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Under current rules, 80 MPs would have to nominate a specific opponent, which would then trigger a leadership election lasting weeks or months, conducted among the 350,000 or so registered Labour Party members.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
In his telling, this race will not be decided by any candidate being able to resolve every tension, but whether the party is willing to nominate someone without constraints.
From Slate • Apr. 29, 2026
President Trump says he’ll nominate former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to be the next Fed chair.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026
“Are we all ready? Then let’s start. Who wants to be the first to nominate someone?”
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
