nominate

[verb nom-uh-neyt; adjective nom-uh-nit]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nominate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), nom·i·nat·ed, nom·i·nat·ing.

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.

adjective

having a particular name.

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 -ate¹

Related formsnom·i·na·tor, nounre·nom·i·nate, verb (used with object), re·nom·i·nat·ed, re·nom·i·nat·ing.un·nom·i·nat·ed, adjective

Synonyms for nominate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nominate ON THESAURUS.COM

1. pick, choose.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for nominate

appoint, suggest, elect, name, propose, submit, elevate, draft, choose, decide, recommend, tap, assign, present, slot, slate, term, intend, denominate, offer

Examples from the Web for nominate

Contemporary Examples of nominate

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 Straight
Marlow Stern
December 11, 2014
Drama schools were visited; members of the public were allowed to nominate themselves.
How 'Gone With the Wind' Got Made
Helen Anders
September 10, 2014
The Stalwarts had bolted the Red Gym and were holding a shadow convention to nominate their own candidates at the opera house.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics
Michael Wolraich
July 24, 2014
A federal agency simply has to “nominate” you if it has “reasonable suspicion”—which is slightly more than a hunch.
Oregon Judge Grounds the Federal No-Fly List—and It’s High Time
Dean Obeidallah
June 26, 2014
When President Barack Obama had to nominate justices to the Supreme Court, many liberals said they wanted a “liberal Scalia.”
The Outside Game of Justice Scalia, a Loner With Clout
David Fontana
June 16, 2014

Historical Examples of nominate

"But you are not in a position to nominate the questions that I am to put to myself," she said.
The Market-Place
Harold Frederic
I've the power to nominate whom I like, and Viola it shall be.
Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard
Joseph Conrad
His uncle could nominate me to posts of honour fit for a caballero.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer
As a party they made no concerted effort to nominate candidates.
Union and Democracy
Allen Johnson
They intended to nominate her and proceeded to root energetically for her.
Marjorie Dean, College Sophomore
Pauline Lester

British Dictionary definitions for nominate

nominate

verb (ˈnɒmɪˌneɪt) (mainly tr)

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

adjective (ˈnɒmɪnɪt)

rare having a particular name

Derived Formsnominator, noun

Word Origin for nominate

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

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.