nomination
Americannoun
-
an act or instance of nominating, especially to office.
The floor is open for nomination of candidates for the presidency.
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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
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Academy Awards, List 1
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Citizenship (Civics) - Middle School
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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.
A former military lawyer who reached the rank of colonel in the Air Force, Graham ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2016.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 12, 2026
Amid a delay with Clayton’s nomination to the intelligence role, the federal prosecutor’s office announced Wednesday that McDonald will serve initially as deputy U.S. attorney to “ensure a seamless transition” in leadership.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
His momentum was so strong that his opponent for the nomination, Maine Governor Janet Mills, suspended her campaign.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
With that said, Storrie’s “SNL” nomination is the voters’ way of signaling they’re down to come to the cottage, as it were.
From Salon • Jul. 9, 2026
It was likely that multiple candidates would run in the primary, which meant that Barack would only need to command a plurality of the vote to win the Democratic nomination.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
