nominate
[verb nom-uh-neyt; adjective nom-uh-nit]
- to propose (someone) for appointment or election to an office.
- to appoint to a duty or office.
- to propose for an honor, award, or the like.
- Horse Racing. to register (a horse) as an entry in a race.
- to name; designate.
- Obsolete. to specify.
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- having a particular name.
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Origin of nominate
Synonyms
See more synonyms for nominate on Thesaurus.com1. pick, choose.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for nominate
Contemporary Examples
And they would, it seems, nominate any movie—no matter how inane—to get those big-name butts in the seats.
The Golden Globes Sobers Up (Sort Of): Years of Ridicule and Bribery Rumors Scares HFPA StraightMarlow Stern
December 11, 2014
Drama schools were visited; members of the public were allowed to nominate themselves.
The Stalwarts had bolted the Red Gym and were holding a shadow convention to nominate their own candidates at the opera house.
A federal agency simply has to “nominate” you if it has “reasonable suspicion”—which is slightly more than a hunch.
When President Barack Obama had to nominate justices to the Supreme Court, many liberals said they wanted a “liberal Scalia.”
Historical Examples
"But you are not in a position to nominate the questions that I am to put to myself," she said.
The Market-PlaceHarold Frederic
I've the power to nominate whom I like, and Viola it shall be.
Nostromo: A Tale of the SeaboardJoseph Conrad
His uncle could nominate me to posts of honour fit for a caballero.
RomanceJoseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
As a party they made no concerted effort to nominate candidates.
Union and DemocracyAllen Johnson
They intended to nominate her and proceeded to root energetically for her.
Marjorie Dean, College SophomorePauline Lester
nominate
- to propose as a candidate, esp for an elective office
- to appoint to an office or position
- to name (someone) to act on one's behalf, esp to conceal one's identity
- (intr) Australian to stand as a candidate in an election
- archaic to name, entitle, or designate
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- rare having a particular name
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin nōmināre to call by name, from nōmen name
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for nominate
v.
1540s, "to call by name," back-formation from nomination or else from Latin nominatus, past participle of nominare "to name, call by name, give a name to," also "name for office,"" from nomen "name" (see name (n.)). Later "to appoint to some office or duty" (1560s); "to formally enter (someone) as a candidate for election" (c.1600). It also occasionally was used from c.1600 with a sense "give a name to." Related: Nominated; nominating.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper