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

Lee's party also won nine parliamentary seats in by-elections, while the PPP secured four and an independent candidate won one.

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

Dasch thought Haupt was a good candidate for the mission.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

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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