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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Production designers Eugenio Caballero (an Oscar winner for Pan’s Labyrinth) and Bárbara Enríquez (Oscar nominated for Roma) oversaw the building of four versions of Macondo to reflect the passage of time, per the story. Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2024 Harris is the first woman of color to be nominated for president by a major party, that may be appealing to some women. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 It was also nominated for, but lost, the record of the year competition. Chris Willman, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024 In 2005, Applegate was nominated for a Tony Award for best actress in a musical after belting it out as Charity Hope Valentine in Sweet Charity. Diana Pearl, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near nominate

Cite this Entry

“Nominate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nominate. Accessed 5 Nov. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on nominate

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!