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.

Never mind that his candidate, Steve Hilton, is in the lead — for now anyway.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

German diplomat Schmidt, whose resignation from the post in May came as a surprise, said that the "consultations will continue" and hoped for "the selection of a consensus candidate in the coming days".

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

That said, Marvell isn’t the only sizable IT candidate.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

WFP leadership, however, in a rare move contrary to party membership, decided not to endorse any candidate in the race.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026

Two days later, backup Irina and first candidate Valentina suited up in full gear, an orange pressurized spacesuit and helmet.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

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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