nominate
Americanverb (used with object)
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nominates,
present (3rd person singular)
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nominated,
past participle, past
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nominating
present participle
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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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nominatesimple
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nominatessimple
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have nominatedperfect
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has nominatedperfect
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am nominatingprogressive
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are nominatingprogressive
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is nominatingprogressive
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have been nominatingperfect progressive
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has been nominatingperfect progressive
Past
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nominatedsimple
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had nominatedperfect
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was nominatingprogressive
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were nominatingprogressive
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had been nominatingperfect progressive
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
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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.
See Examples For:
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would nominate acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao for the permanent position.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Within months, Trump would nominate McDonald to be Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson said if the UUP decided not to nominate a health minister, his party - as the next entitled to nominate under the current rules - would do so.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
In theory, the race to nominate his successor could end Tuesday, should one candidate win an outright majority.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
In the meantime, Joey Sisman kept threatening to nominate himself if no one else did and vote for himself, too.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Each professor nominates two books to include among the year’s coursework.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Those roles are separate from the Fed Board of Governors’ chair and vice chair positions, which the president nominates and the Senate confirms.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
For instance, the bar nominates candidates to the board that adjudicates lawyers’ misconduct, and helps to set the board’s budget.
From Slate ● Apr. 24, 2025
Likewise, the state’s Conservative Party normally nominates the same candidate as the Republicans.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2024
An antislavery coalition forms the Free Soil party and nominates former president Martin Van Buren as its candidate.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Among her likely competitors, Audrey Hobert and Malcolm Todd will be fun to watch as the Grammys’ first set of siblings nominated against each other for this prize.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
At the most recent Grammys ceremony, seven of the eight nominees for record of the year were also nominated for song of the year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
Spain’s government nominated Hernandez de Cos, general manager of the Bank for International Settlements, whom former colleagues describe as a technical whiz with a strong grasp of central banking and monetary policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative nominated by George W. Bush, is 71 years old.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
But if I nominated her it would move me to another whole level.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
"I'm not nominating anyone for sainthood here. What I am telling you is that this is a person that, in the past, has been helpful to the United States government," the official added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Each candidate must have a valid nomination and be authorised by the party's nominating officer.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The new category came as part of a bevy of added or tweaked awards and nominating rules that will debut at next year’s ceremony on Feb. 7.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
I have no objection to the Democrats’ nominating an oysterman for a Senate seat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
I take a deep breath and prepare to act surprised when she tells me she’s nominating me for the study abroad program.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
