as in applicant
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
each candidate for town council was allowed to speak at the candidates' forum
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Recent Examples of candidate
After the game, both Bednar and Kadri clearly weren’t happy with the work from the guys in stripes — and not just the decision to eject the team’s leading scoring and league MVP candidate on an unusual and controversial call.
—
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
Majid Saeedi | Getty Images In 2005, he was accused by reformers of working with religious leaders and the IRGC to ensure the election of Ahmadinejad, the conservative candidate, as president.
—Emma Graham,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census is an ongoing initiative, and the 28 candidate species from this expedition still await formal description.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2026
Fuentes has offered Fishback’s more positive poll results as proof of the strength of his own following, the Groypers, while declining to endorse him in an effort to stanch the candidate’s toxicity.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for candidate
Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
Majid Saeedi | Getty Images In 2005, he was accused by reformers of working with religious leaders and the IRGC to ensure the election of Ahmadinejad, the conservative candidate, as president.
—Emma Graham,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census is an ongoing initiative, and the 28 candidate species from this expedition still await formal description.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2026
Fuentes has offered Fishback’s more positive poll results as proof of the strength of his own following, the Groypers, while declining to endorse him in an effort to stanch the candidate’s toxicity.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for candidate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for candidate
Noun
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For the positions that do get applicants, school leaders often say less than half of their candidates have the proper qualifications.—
Mark Batinick,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
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But since 79% of applicants are already in private school, the extent of the impact on public school funding may be limited.—
Lacey Beasley,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Typically some time in January, the composer begins researching top awards contenders and toying with recognizable melodies from their scores.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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The Astros signed Altuve to a long-term extension in 2013, years before the club again became contenders.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Candidate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/candidate. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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