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.

Tony Hinchcliffe, who helms the No. 1 live podcast in the world, “Kill Tony,” applied his politically incorrect approach to comedy that similarly outraged audiences at a 2024 campaign rally for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

The party's candidate is Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who is seeking to return to Westminster and is expected to challenge Sir Keir for the Labour leadership if he wins.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Skubal was the perfect candidate to become the first major-league player to be operated on with a new piece of technology that could drastically cut his recovery time.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

Sonko was the sole candidate for the position.

From Barron's • May 26, 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

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!