nominee
Americannoun
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a person nominated, as to run for elective office or fill a particular post.
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a person in whose name title to real estate or ownership of stock is held but who is not the actual proprietor or holder.
noun
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a person who is nominated to an office or as a candidate
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a person or organization named to act on behalf of someone else, esp to conceal the identity of the nominator
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( as modifier )
nominee shareholder
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Etymology
Origin of nominee
First recorded in 1655–65; nomin(ate) + -ee
Explanation
A nominee is someone running for office. You could be a nominee for student council or for the presidency. To nominate is to name or select someone as a candidate for office. In the United States, the primary elections help each party figure out who to nominate to run for office. That candidate is called the nominee. Once a nominee is selected, he or she runs against the sitting president. There are nominees at every level of government. Being a nominee is quite an honor, but it's not the ultimate goal: a nominee could still win or lose the election.
Vocabulary lists containing nominee
Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting
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Academy Awards, List 1
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for January 16–22, 2021
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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.
And it was another vote from best actor nominee Tom Hiddleston - he's clearly a popular man tonight!
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
Back in the speakeasy lounge, guests favor lite fare like charcuterie and pork belly sliders from a menu curated by chef Travis Allen and culinary director Thomas Boemer, a multi-time James Beard award nominee.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
What is your view of Kevin Warsh, the president’s nominee to succeed Powell as chair?
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
Less than three months before the June primary, Davis had been running dead last, behind two well-heeled Democrats and the eventual GOP nominee.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
With the election just weeks away, Senator Kennedy, the Democratic nominee for president, warned that America was losing the Cold War.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
