candidate

American  

[kan-di-dayt, -dit, kan-di-dayt] / ˈkæn dɪˌdeɪt, -dɪt, ˈkæn dɪˌdeɪt /

noun

• candidates
  plural

1. a person who seeks an office, honor, etc..

   a candidate for governor.

2. a person who is selected by others as a contestant for an office, honor, etc.

3. a person who is deserving of or seems destined for a certain end or fate.

   Such a reckless spender is a candidate for the poorhouse.

4. a student studying for a degree.

   Candidates for the B.A. will have to meet certain minimum requirements.

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verb (used without object)

candidated, candidating

1. to become a candidate for service as a new minister of a church; preach before a congregation that is seeking a new minister.

candidate British  

/ ˈkændɪˌdeɪt, -dɪt /

noun

1. a person seeking or nominated for election to a position of authority or honour or selection for a job, promotion, etc

2. a person taking an examination or test

3. a person or thing regarded as suitable or likely for a particular fate or position

   this wine is a candidate for his cellar

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Usage

What does candidate mean? Candidate most commonly means someone who’s seeking to be elected, hired, or appointed to a position, especially a political office or job. The word candidate most commonly refers to a politician seeking election or a person who has applied for a job. But it can be used in several other ways to refer to someone or something under consideration for some kind of treatment or status. Example: We have more than 100 applicants, but almost none of them are qualified candidates for this job.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• candidacy
  noun
• precandidature
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• candidates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of candidate

First recorded in 1605–15, candidate is from the Latin word candidātus “clothed in white” (adective), “candidate for office” (noun, in reference to the white togas worn by those seeking office); see candid, -ate ¹

Explanation

A candidate is someone running for political office — or anyone being considered for a position or opportunity of some sort. When you hear about candidates, it's usually in discussions of politics. People are always wondering, "Who will be the candidates in the next Presidential election?" Every President, and every office-holder, was once a candidate. When you're a candidate, you raise money, hold rallies, make campaign promises, and do everything you can to win. You can also say someone is a candidate for a job, prize, and other things. Someone could jokingly say, "He's a candidate to be my next husband."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

candidate candidates candidating

Lawrence, 36, made a career of activism before running for office as a progressive candidate.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Some states, such as Colorado, have laws that apply only to candidate deepfakes and thus exclude other uses of AI.

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026

At a September roundtable with Black elected officials, Michigan state House candidate Kimberly Fisher warned that Black voters in her district brought up his race repeatedly.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

Left tackle Rashawn Slater sustained a high ankle sprain and is a candidate for injured reserve, Harbaugh said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Opposing them were the Half-Breeds, who considered Grant a losing candidate because many voters had become disgusted by the scandals and corruption during his time in office.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

How candidates across the country who have made renter priorities a part of their campaign fair could influence how Connecticut’s Democrat-controlled legislature approaches the issue, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Since the drug candidates Sanofi and Regeneron will jointly develop are at an early stage, the French drugmaker has limited pivotal study results on the horizon, Berenberg says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Polling shows broad support for more regulation, with 78% of registered voters favoring a ban on AI content that makes deceptive claims about candidates.

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026

Basil Smikle, a political strategist and professor at Columbia University, has argued that Black voters often vet candidates through a different lens than some other groups do.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

In this case, they would cut fifty-two thousand possible characters down to only a handful of likely candidates.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

I don't believe in candidating, and I can't be accessory to it.

From Laicus; Or, the Experiences of a Layman in a Country Parish. by Lyman Abbott

When we think of it, what a ghoulish business "candidating" is!

From The Warriors by Anna Robertson Brown Lindsay

I believe the whole church is satisfied with the result of our peculiar method of candidating.

From Laicus; Or, the Experiences of a Layman in a Country Parish. by Lyman Abbott

Meantime that modern church is still very modern indeed, and at this present time its pulpit is vacant—they are candidating!

From Divers Women by Pansy

It was when I was candidating for my first parish that I preached at a little village down in Pennsylvania.

From Harper's Round Table, October 1, 1895 by Various

Related Words

• applicant
• aspirant
• bidder
• competitor
• contender
• contestant
• nominee
• successor