nominate

verb

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nom·i·nate | \ ˈnä-mə-ˌnāt

nominated; nominating

Definition of nominate

transitive verb

1 : designate, name the first of the commonly so nominated explorers of the American Arctic— Vilhjalmur Stephansson

2a : 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

Other Words from nominate Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about nominate

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Other Words from nominate

nominatable \ ˈnä-mə-ˌnā-tə-bəl

\ adjective

nominator \ ˈnä-mə-ˌnā-tər

\ noun

nominee \ ˌnä-mə-ˈnē

\ noun

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 The Utah Republican Party’s Central Committee plans to nominate possible replacements for David Damschen, who resigned from the seat. — Taylor Stevens, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah Gov. Spencer Cox names acting state treasurer," 28 Apr. 2021 President Biden plans to nominate Chris Magnus, a former police chief from the Bay Area, to be the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. — Matthew Rosenberg, New York Times, "What Kristine Hostetter’s Story Says About Orange County," 13 Apr. 2021 President Joe Biden plans to nominate former Richmond police chief Chris Magnus to serve as the commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection, according to multiple media reports. — Vanessa Arredondo, San Francisco Chronicle, "Biden to nominate former Bay Area police chief to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency," 12 Apr. 2021 On Tuesday morning, Politico reported that Biden plans to nominate the legal academic Lina Khan to an open seat on the Federal Trade Commission, one of the agencies with the most power to enforce antitrust laws. — Gilad Edelman, Wired, "Biden Is Assembling a Big Tech Antitrust All-Star Team," 9 Mar. 2021 On Wednesday, multiple outlets confirmed that Biden plans to nominate Representative Deb Haaland to lead the Department of the Interior. — Lydia Wang, refinery29.com, "Here’s Why Rep. Deb Haaland Is Such An Important Choice For Biden’s Cabinet," 17 Dec. 2020 President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to be his energy secretary, according to multiple reports. — Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner, "Biden to pick former Michigan Gov. Granholm as secretary of energy," 15 Dec. 2020 Biden also plans to nominate Janet Yellen to be treasury secretary, NBC News confirmed. — NBC News, "'The closest thing to a concession': Trump administration finally allows Biden transition to begin," 24 Nov. 2020 If so, now is your chance to nominate it as a Top Workplace. — Cindy Burton, Detroit Free Press, "We're looking for Michigan's best places to work. Here's your chance to nominate one," 18 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nominate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

9 May 2021

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“Nominate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nominate. Accessed 17 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for nominate

nominate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of nominate

: to formally choose (someone) as a candidate for a job, position, office, etc.

: to choose (someone) for a job, position, office, etc.

: to choose (someone or something) as a candidate for receiving an honor or award

See the full definition for nominate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

nominate

verb

nom·i·nate | \ ˈnä-mə-ˌnāt

nominated; nominating

Kids Definition of nominate

: to choose as a candidate for election, appointment, or honor The parties each nominate a candidate for president.

nominate

adjective

nom·i·nate | \ ˈnä-mə-nət, -ˌnāt \

Legal Definition of nominate

(Entry 1 of 2)

in the civil law of Louisiana : having a special or certain name — compare innominate

nominate

transitive verb

nom·i·nate | \ ˈnä-mə-ˌnāt

nominated; nominating

Legal Definition of nominate (Entry 2 of 2)

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