Definitions

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.

Candidate appearances on nonexempt shows have occasionally triggered the equal-time rule.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

Candidate Tomás Sidenfaden, a software developer and entrepreneur who lives in Century City, also criticized how the county handled the fire.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

The study, "JWST Reveals a Candidate Jellyfish Galaxy at z=1.156," was published in The Astrophysical Journal.

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

Candidate one is elected, but then is found to have broken Senedd rules in a way that is serious enough for the standards committee to recommend a recall process.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2025

It was the way D.I.’s awoke recruits when he was at Officers’ Candidate School and it remained, to him, the most efficient way to rouse soldiers from their sacks.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!