SKIP TO CONTENT

candidate

candidates

A candidate is someone running for political office — or anyone being considered for a position or opportunity of some sort.

When you hear about candidates, it's usually in discussions of politics. People are always wondering, "Who will be the candidates in the next Presidential election?" Every President, and every office-holder, was once a candidate. When you're a candidate, you raise money, hold rallies, make campaign promises, and do everything you can to win. You can also say someone is a candidate for a job, prize, and other things. Someone could jokingly say, "He's a candidate to be my next husband."

Definitions of candidate
  1. noun
    someone who is considered for something (for an office or prize or honor etc.)
    synonyms: nominee, prospect
  2. noun
    a politician who is running for public office
    synonyms: campaigner, nominee
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 6 types...
    hide 6 types...
    dark horse
    a political candidate who is not well known but could win unexpectedly
    favorite son
    a United States politician favored mainly in his or her home state
    running mate
    a nominee for the lesser of two closely related political offices
    spoiler
    a candidate with no chance of winning but who may draw enough votes to prevent one of the leading candidates from winning
    stalking-horse
    a candidate put forward to divide the Opposition or to mask the true candidate
    write-in, write-in candidate
    a candidate for public office whose name does not appear on the ballot and so must be written on the ballot by the voters
    type of:
    pol, political leader, politician, politico
    a person active in party politics
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘candidate'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE

Look up candidate for the last time

Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.

VocabTrainer - Vocabulary.com's Vocabulary Trainer