candidate

[kan-di-deyt, -dit, kan-di-deyt] / ˈkæn dɪˌdeɪt, -dɪt, ˈkæn dɪˌdeɪt /

NOUN

person desiring political office, job

Synonyms

STRONGEST

applicant aspirant bidder competitor contender contestant nominee successor

STRONG

claimant entrant hopeful petitioner possibility pothunter runner seeker stumper suitor write-in

WEAK

dark horse favorite son handshaker job-hunter office seeker possible choice solicitant whistle-stopper

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.

In 2018, for example, it was announced that there was a new candidate for a dwarf planet orbiting the Sun, known as 2017 OF201.

From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026

In Falta, a constituency the TMC had won with 56% of the vote in 2021, the party failed even to keep a candidate in the fray for a repoll.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Thinking it was a supporter, the candidate extended his hand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

“That probably opened the door for the third candidate to run,” Barta added.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

And the very notion that a candidate should openly solicit votes violated the principled presumption that such behavior itself represented a confession of unworthiness for national office.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Vocabulary lists containing candidate

Election Lingo

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Electoral Elocution: The Verbiage of Voting

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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 2

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