running mate

noun

Definition of running mate

1 : companion

2 : a horse entered in a race to set the pace for a horse of the same owner or stable

3 : a candidate running for a subordinate place on a ticket especially : the candidate for vice president

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Examples of running mate in a Sentence

When John F. Kennedy ran for president, his running mate was Lyndon Johnson. inseparable running mates who first met when they were in elementary school

Recent Examples on the Web

Carlo, with a year’s more service than McAvoy, is considered a physical and essential building block back there and Cassidy has grown increasingly comfortable with pairing him on the No. 2 unit as Krug’s running mate. — BostonGlobe.com, "Bruce Cassidy," 13 Sep. 2019 Irving or Leonard both make more sense as Butler’s running mate. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "Five Big Questions Surrounding Jimmy Butler's NBA Free Agency," 27 June 2019 Biden shared a debate stage with Clinton for the first Democratic presidential debate of the 2008 cycle, and later with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin after Barack Obama selected him as running mate. — Jaclyn Gallucci, Fortune, "2019 Democratic Debate Includes More Women Than Ever Before," 26 June 2019 Biden is still atop the polls, the seasoned veteran of two winning national campaigns as Barack Obama’s running mate. — Steve Chapman, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Are Democrats blowing their 2020 chance?," 21 June 2019 Kaine is viewed as the favorite and is a prodigious fundraiser, helped by his time as Clinton’s running mate. — Washington Post, "Loyalty to Trump key focus of Virginia GOP Senate debate," 19 Apr. 2018 Hours later, the mayor of Rochester, Lovely Warren, an African-American woman, was floated as a potential new Cuomo running mate. — Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, "Cuomo Amasses $30 Million War Chest," 17 Jan. 2018 Ghani and his running mate in the Sept. 28 elections, Amrullah Saleh, were unharmed. — Washington Post, "Taliban suicide bombers strike Kabul and rally for Afghan president, killing at least 48," 17 Sep. 2019 In Piety and Power, LoBianco offers key insights into Pence’s personal life and career, including his evangelical conversion, and gives a highly-detailed history of how President Trump selected Pence to be his running mate in 2016. — Annabel Gutterman, Time, "The 42 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2019," 30 Aug. 2019

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

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13 Oct 2019

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The first known use of running mate was in 1867

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running mate

noun

English Language Learners Definition of running mate

chiefly US : the person who runs with someone in an election (such as an election to choose a new president) and who is given the less important position (such as vice president) if they are elected

See the full definition for running mate in the English Language Learners Dictionary