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.

Six defendants, including then-congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, were indicted on felony charges in October.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

It is usual in cases where a candidate wins an elected mayoralty and a council seat for a by-election to be held afterwards for the council seat.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

However, in St Peter's ward, the party won with 1,352 votes, with an independent candidate receiving 1,175 and Reform UK with 864.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

If no candidate wins a majority, those two compete in the Nov. 3 runoff.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

So Senator Harding became candidate Harding, and later that fall, after a campaign conducted from his front porch in Marion, Ohio, candidate Harding became President Harding.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

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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