nominate

verb

nom·​i·​nate ˈnä-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce nominate (audio)
nominated; nominating

transitive verb

1
: designate, name
the first of the commonly so nominated explorers of the American ArcticVilhjalmur 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 adjective
nominator noun
nominee noun

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 Oshoala, a Barcelona legend who was twice nominated as a Ballon d’Or Award finalist during her historic run in Europe, scored Bay FC’s first-ever goal with a memorable strike in the 17th minute. Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 The following 98 students have been nominated for the 2024 Artist of the Year in vocal music by teachers and private instructors at Orange County high schools and arts organizations. Heide Janssen, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2024 Polling will unfold over seven phases around the country ending on June 1. Indians will be voting for 543 seats in the 545-seat lower house of parliament, called the Lok Sabha, and the other two seats in the house are nominated by the president. Rhea Mogul, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 School representatives such as teachers, counselors, club advisers, communication staff and principals can nominate these high school students by 4 p.m. on Thursdays. Melanie Laughman, The Enquirer, 15 Mar. 2024 Higgins also was nominated — for a PATSY Award for best animal performance of the year in a feature. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2024 Garcia had formally nominated McCarthy as Speaker at the beginning of 2023, and his removal deprived Garcia of a patron. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 While the title didn’t get a great reception, it was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes that year. Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Once appointed by the Governor, nominated commissioners must be approved by the Senate. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 14 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nominate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of nominate was in 1545

Dictionary Entries Near nominate

Cite this Entry

“Nominate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nominate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nominate

verb
nom·​i·​nate ˈnäm-ə-ˌnāt How to pronounce nominate (audio)
nominated; nominating
: to choose as a candidate for election, appointment, or honor
especially : to propose for office
nominated a senator for president
nominator 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 How to pronounce nominate (audio)
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 ambassadorsU.S. Constitution art. II
2
: to propose as a candidate for election to office
nomination noun
Etymology

Latin nominatus, past participle of nominare to call by name, from nomin- nomen name

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