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.

She believes that Steyer hit a ceiling because voters who are bombarded by ads eventually feel that the candidate is trying to purchase their affection.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

Bob Sanguinetti, the Port of Aberdeen's chief executive, wants the successful candidate to call for a more "robust and holistic energy strategy".

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

We need to be assured with specific examples of how a candidate will work to fix America for us: income disparity, job availability, affordability of living and retirement planning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Platner is expected to defeat Maine's Democratic Governor Janet Mills, who remains on the ballot despite suspending her campaign, along with lesser-known candidate David Costello.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Besides, I could not imagine her not supporting the candidate who wanted to aid the poor.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

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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