as in applicants
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 candidates
The 2020 Democratic presidential primary, the party's last open nominating contest, featured a rush to the left as candidates raced to embrace far-reaching ideas including Medicare-for-all, the Green New Deal and aggressive taxes on billionaires.
—
Jeff Stein The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2026
Aside from the opinion polls, other indicators on who may emerge from the pack a candidates are slowly emerging.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
This marks a massive spike from the previous cycle, which saw 24 Democratic candidates under 50 challenging older incumbents.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 Mar. 2026
Many candidates agree the area is a medical desert with too few resources to care for birthing mothers, heart attack patients and gunshot victims.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Several senior Iranian officials were also reportedly killed in the early strikes, eliminating potential successors and further narrowing the field of candidates.
—Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton finished as the top two candidates in the three-way Republican primary.
—Faith Bugenhagen, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
Tobin pointed out a player at that range who was limited in crowded position groups on their team (Hendrickson), under-appreciated change-of-scenery candidates (Hilton, Awuzie, Bell, Karras, Cappa) or a willing splash at the top of the positional market (Reader).
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Four months out from the all-party primary, there’s still time for one of the Democratic candidates to surge into a top-two spot, or for Bianco or Hilton to lose steam.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Jeff Stein The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2026
Aside from the opinion polls, other indicators on who may emerge from the pack a candidates are slowly emerging.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
This marks a massive spike from the previous cycle, which saw 24 Democratic candidates under 50 challenging older incumbents.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 5 Mar. 2026
Many candidates agree the area is a medical desert with too few resources to care for birthing mothers, heart attack patients and gunshot victims.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Several senior Iranian officials were also reportedly killed in the early strikes, eliminating potential successors and further narrowing the field of candidates.
—Imtiaz Tyab, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton finished as the top two candidates in the three-way Republican primary.
—Faith Bugenhagen, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
Tobin pointed out a player at that range who was limited in crowded position groups on their team (Hendrickson), under-appreciated change-of-scenery candidates (Hilton, Awuzie, Bell, Karras, Cappa) or a willing splash at the top of the positional market (Reader).
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Four months out from the all-party primary, there’s still time for one of the Democratic candidates to surge into a top-two spot, or for Bianco or Hilton to lose steam.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for candidates
Noun
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From there, the military and civil service adopted similar tools to rank large pools of applicants.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Mar. 2026
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There’s no cost for the process, and applicants usually find out their fate within six months, though that time can vary.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Styles’s lanes — the sleek male pop vocalist, the possible rock icon — are now brimming with contenders.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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The City of Trees was one of the top five contenders for the title, WalletHub said.—
Hali Smith
March 6,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The team will have a difficult time manufacturing offense against contenders and playoff hopefuls without its core, including Marshall, who’s missed the last two games with a finger contusion on his right hand.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
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Georgia made history on Tuesday, making a significant investment in its college hopefuls.—
Jason Armesto,
AJC.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Candidates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/candidates. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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