nominate

verb

nom·​i·​nate ˈnä-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce nominate (audio)
nominated; nominating
Synonyms of nominatenext

transitive verb

1
: designate, name
the first of the commonly so nominated explorers of the American Arctic—Vilhjalmur Stephansson
2
a
: to appoint or propose for appointment to an office or place
He was nominated to the Supreme Court.
b
: to propose as a candidate for election to office
We expect the party to nominate him for president.
c
: to propose for an honor
nominate her for player of the year
He was nominated for an Academy Award.
3
: to enter (a horse) in a race
nominatable
ˈnä-mə-ˌnā-tə-bəl How to pronounce nominate (audio)
adjective
nominator
ˈnä-mə-ˌnā-tər How to pronounce nominate (audio)
noun
nominee
ˌnä-mə-ˈnē How to pronounce nominate (audio)
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of nominate in a Sentence

We expect the party to nominate him for president. The President nominated her for Attorney General. Someone has to tell her the truth—I nominate you. We nominated her for player of the year.
Recent Examples on the Web Only three months after its release, J.J Fad members were among the first class of hip-hop artists to be nominated for a Grammy. —Liz Sanchez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024 Lana Del Rey, Jamie xx, Roxy Music, Nelly Furtado, Phoebe Bridgers, Neil Francis and Beach House are among the artists heard in the film, which also features music by Ryan Lott (one-third of Son Lux, nominated for an Oscar for their original song in Everything Everywhere All At Once). —Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024 Fury Road, which in 2016 won six Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture, starred Tom Hardy alongside Theron. —Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024 The lineup also features opening sets by longtime are favorites Dead Rock West and rising country singer-songwriter Kimmi Bitter, who is nominated in two categories in this year’s San Diego Music Awards. 7 p.m. Wednesday. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024 The first candidate to be nominated and receive a majority vote by the eight council members, including the mayor, will be appointed and sworn in immediately. —Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024 Schools can nominate students using the link below. —Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024 Student of the Week:Enquirer readers choose Student of the Week winners for March 22 Only a school representative using a district email may nominate their high school students for the ballot to studentoftheweek@cincinnati.com. —Melanie Laughman, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024 His nominating convention adjourned without choosing a running mate for him. —Ron Elving, NPR, 30 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nominate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin nominatus, past participle of nominare, from nomin-, nomen name — more at name

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nominate was in 1545

Dictionary Entries Near nominate

nomina nova

nominate

nominately

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Nominate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nominate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

nominate

verb
nom·​i·​nate ˈnäm-ə-ˌnāt How to pronounce nominate (audio)
nominated; nominating
: to choose as a candidate for election, appointment, or honor
especially : to propose for office
nominated a senator for president
nominator
-ˌnāt-ər How to pronounce nominate (audio)
noun

Legal Definition

nominate

1 of 2 adjective
nom·​i·​nate
ˈnä-mə-nət, -ˌnāt
in the civil law of Louisiana : having a special or certain name compare innominate

nominate

2 of 2 transitive verb
nom·​i·​nate ˈnä-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce nominate (audio)
nominated; nominating
1
: to appoint or propose for appointment to an office, position, or place
if the testator has nominated an executor of the will
the President…shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors—U.S. Constitution art. II
2
: to propose as a candidate for election to office
nomination
ˌnä-mə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce nominate (audio)
noun
Etymology

Latin nominatus, past participle of nominare to call by name, from nomin- nomen name

More from Merriam-Webster on nominate

Nglish: Translation of nominate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of nominate for Arabic Speakers

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