nominate

verb

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

transitive verb

1
: designate, name
the first of the commonly so nominated explorers of the American Arctic— Vilhjalmur 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
ˈnä-mə-ˌnā-tə-bəl How to pronounce nominate (audio)
adjective
nominator
ˈnä-mə-ˌnā-tər How to pronounce nominate (audio)
noun
nominee
ˌnä-mə-ˈnē How to pronounce nominate (audio)
noun

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The top executives of the music awards in each country, or those nominated by the top executives, will participate in MAJ as overseas voting members. — Billboard Japan, Billboard, 14 Mar. 2025 She was nominated to lead the NEH by then-president Joe Biden in October 2021 and confirmed to a typical four-year term in the role by the Senate the following February. — News Desk, Artforum, 14 Mar. 2025 Whether the withdrawal of Weldon’s nomination is a win for vaccines depends on who Trump nominates next and how much influence Kennedy exerts as the CDC director’s boss. — Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025 She was nominated as U.N. ambassador months ago, yet her Senate confirmation vote remains in limbo. — Lauren Green, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 13 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nominate

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

Rhymes for nominate

See All Rhymes for nominate

Browse Nearby Words

nomina nova
nominate
nominately
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nominate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nominate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

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
-ˌnāt-ər How to pronounce nominate (audio)
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 ambassadors— U.S. Constitution art. II
2
: to propose as a candidate for election to office
nomination
ˌnä-mə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce nominate (audio)
noun
Etymology

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

More from Merriam-Webster on nominate

Nglish: Translation of nominate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All