nominate

verb

nom·​i·​nate ˈnä-mə-ˌnāt 

nominated; nominating

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

a judge who 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 

adjective

nominator

ˈnä-mə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

nominee

ˌnä-mə-ˈnē 

noun

Synonyms of nominate

• name
• call
• designate
• dub
• entitle
• label
• title
• term

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

Readers nominated 30 restaurants with top-notch nachos in Charlotte and the surrounding area, then narrowed down the field to the Top 2 spots across four rounds and thousands of votes. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 28 July 2026

Taylor Swift Has Competed for Similar Honors Despite her reputation as one of the defining songwriters of her generation, Swift has never been nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

In 2018, after Duke University researcher Barton Haynes nominated him for the Shaw Prize, Fauci proposed another. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 July 2026

The film was nominated for five Oscars, with Angela Bassett’s nomination for best supporting actress marking the first time any actor in a Marvel film was nominated for an Academy Award. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 26 July 2026

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

Rhymes for nominate

• innominate

Kids Definition

nominate

verb

nom·​i·​nate ˈnäm-ə-ˌnāt 

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 

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 

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 

noun

Etymology

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