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

Trump had hailed his intervention in the dispute as further proof of his ability to end wars, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. —Helen Regan, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025

Sure, Fuerza Regida is nominated, and this year could mark their first Latin Grammy win, but breakout regional Mexican star Peso Pluma was notably absent from the nominees list. —Pamela Avila, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025

She was nominated to serve as an FCC commissioner under President Joe Biden, but withdrew her candidacy after a wave of personal attacks. —Kevin Collier, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2025

It was also nominated for six Oscars, receiving the award for Best Sound at the 95th Academy Awards. —Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Nov. 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