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.

The most obvious candidate is the VanEck Semiconductor Exchange-Traded Fund, home to data center chip makers seeing explosive growth in their AI offerings.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

Having claimed to have knocked on every door in the constituency several times, as Reform UK has, team Burnham's approach is to send their candidate to speak to undecided voters personally, often about local issues.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

Several years later, Saudi Arabia would win the right to host the 2034 World Cup as the only candidate in the running.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

He insisted he was a nonpartisan candidate running on local issues.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

The perfect candidate showed up for the job, a guy who has a legitimate plumber’s license, and Dad didn’t like his professional opinion?

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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!