candidate
Americannoun
-
a person who seeks an office, honor, etc..
a candidate for governor.
-
a person who is selected by others as a contestant for an office, honor, etc.
-
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.
-
a student studying for a degree.
Candidates for the B.A. will have to meet certain minimum requirements.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a person seeking or nominated for election to a position of authority or honour or selection for a job, promotion, etc
-
a person taking an examination or test
-
a person or thing regarded as suitable or likely for a particular fate or position
this wine is a candidate for his cellar
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing candidate
Election Lingo
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
His discipline and attention to detail, mixed with the athleticism Randolph noticed when watching him play basketball, made Wallace the perfect candidate to play football.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Brazil's right-wing Liberal Party on Saturday formally nominated Flavio Bolsonaro, a 45-year-old senator and son of imprisoned ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, as its candidate in the October presidential election.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
One former defence official suggested he became a real candidate for the presidency the moment he was dismissed.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Macquarie’s bull at Jefferies thinks the appointment of an internal candidate as CEO reduces risks of a material near-term strategy shift.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
If for some reason the chosen candidate couldn't go into space, Irina would take her place.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
Both candidates in New York’s governor’s race are campaigning on electricity costs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Pelosi was one of 14 candidates, several of them well-known Democratic officeholders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
We have a brief couple of weeks to make jokes about the candidates in South Carolina’s quickie Republican Senate primary, and we intend to use them.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
Among 15 first-time candidates from Texas who could be in Congress next year and who disclosed their assets, the median estimated net worth was $3.34 million.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
After a short while inside, the candidates had no idea what time it was, whether it was day or night, whether anyone was listening to them when they talked.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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
He once told me of an early experience in candidating.
From A Backward Glance at Eighty Recollections & comment by Murdock, Charles A. (Charles Albert)
What said the elegant modern church, that during the process of this change was undergoing a candidating siege?
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
The elder was filling the vacant pulpit that day by mere chance, as he told me; but I guess he was really candidating a little after all.
From Vandemark's Folly by Quick, Herbert
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.
