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.

Nexstar Media Group will host a California gubernatorial candidate debate next week that will air across the company’s TV stations in the state.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Magyar’s team feared the tactic risked whipping up hostility toward the candidate now traveling with scant security.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Then-vice presidential candidate JD Vance added to the chorus, saying on a podcast, “We need to release the Epstein list.”

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

No, the opposition toward the candidate is viciously intense, shockingly manifold, and wide-ranging to the point of sounding almost existential.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

“I boldly entered...politics and business and exercised the rights I already possessed. I therefore claim the right to speak for the...women of the country...and I now announce myself as a candidate for the Presidency.”

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

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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