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

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 

adjective

nominator

ˈnä-mə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

nominee

ˌnä-mə-ˈnē 

noun

Synonyms

• 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

The Devil Wears Prada was nominated for two Oscars: for Streep as Best Actress and Patricia Field’s Costume Design. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 30 June 2025

The Senate has also proposed a number of amendments, some of which undo the proposals put forward by the House, chief among them, making Opportunity Zones a permanent program, and allowing governors to reopen the window to nominate new tracts every ten years. —Oludolapo Makinde, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, candidates seeking nomination in the 2026 general primary election can begin circulating petitions on Aug. 5 and must file nominating documents between Oct. 27 and Nov. 3. —R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025

Last year, she was nominated alongside such luminaries as Meryl Streep, Christina Ricci, and J. Smith-Cameron for a Golden Globe, eventually losing to Elizabeth Debicki for her performance as Princess Diana in The Crown. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 30 June 2025

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