running mate

noun

1
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

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 After nearly sweeping the board on Super Tuesday, former President Donald Trump is well on his way to winning the Republican nomination — meaning a decision about his running mate could come soon. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 Not having Murray, his top running mate, clearly impacted Denver’s offense. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 Prabowo did so, in part, by securing Jokowi’s support, most importantly by picking his 36-year-old son to be his running mate. Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2024 The race for a running mate With Trump's landslide win in Iowa and frontrunner status in New Hampshire, other political observers are wondering whether Trump will cement his success in the primaries by announcing a running mate. Rachel Looker, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2024 Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Lai Ching-te, his running mate, Hsiao Bi-khim, and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, center, at a rally Thursday in Taipei. Kevin Collier, NBC News, 13 Jan. 2024 Here’s a roundup of each of the top three presidential candidates’ tactics: Anies Baswedan, who is 54 (running mate: Muhaimin Iskandar, 57), has been using TikTok live streams to interact with potential voters. Rachel Wilson, CNN, 10 Feb. 2024 Within days of the decision, Prabowo announced Widodo’s son as his running mate. Winda Charmila, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2024 Most candidates don't announce a running mate until the official nominating conventions are held in the summer, and Trump is expected to follow that precedent. Olivia Rinaldi, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of running mate was in 1867

Dictionary Entries Near running mate

Cite this Entry

“Running mate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/running%20mate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

running mate

noun
: a candidate running for a lesser office (as vice president) who is on the same ticket with the candidate for the top office
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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