nomination
Americannoun
-
nominations
plural
-
an act or instance of nominating, especially to office.
The floor is open for nomination of candidates for the presidency.
-
the state of being nominated.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of nomination
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin nōminātiōn- (stem of nōminātiō ) a naming, nomination. See nominate, -ion
Explanation
The first step in the process of electing a candidate for office or giving someone an award is nomination. When someone is officially recommended as a contender, that's their nomination. Your nomination for Best Animated Film in a film festival means that you're one of the directors who will be up for the award. A nomination is a huge honor in itself, because it means you've been chosen to be on a short list of possible winners. During presidential elections, major party nominations are usually made after a primary election — the party's nomination is its official endorsement of a candidate. The Latin root, nominationem, means "a naming."
Vocabulary lists containing nomination
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!
Academy Awards, List 1
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!
Citizenship (Civics) - Middle School
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:
He campaigned during that time with Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate now running for a US Senate seat after winning the Democratic nomination.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
One guest-star appearance in an episode of “Tales From the Crypt” earned him a primetime Emmy nomination.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
The musical had been revived numerous times in New York and London, including in 2001 with the Broadway revival earning multiple Tony Award nominations including a nomination for revival of a musical.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The star's most recent film role was in 2025's Song Sung Blue, which earned her a second Oscar nomination, following her first nod for Almost Famous back in 2001.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
After days in which the Democratic nomination filled the papers, there came suddenly the thunderbolt of General McClellan’s response to his nomination.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
That drive, talent and output won her 11 Grammys, including one for Lifetime Achievement, and earned her 55 nominations.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
Further Tony nominations came his way for My Favorite Year in 1993, then in 2005 for playing King Arthur in Monty Python musical Spamalot.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Playing Juliette earned Panettiere two Golden Globe nominations, and her performances of the character’s songs landed her on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs charts 11 times.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
Taylor Swift earned the second-most nominations with nine, including video of the year, artist of the year and pop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
“They haven’t announced the nominations or where the trip is yet. I want to go.”
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
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.
