candidate
Americannoun
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a person who seeks an office, honor, etc..
a candidate for governor.
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a person who is selected by others as a contestant for an office, honor, etc.
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a person who is deserving of or seems destined for a certain end or fate.
Such a reckless spender is a candidate for the poorhouse.
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a student studying for a degree.
Candidates for the B.A. will have to meet certain minimum requirements.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a person seeking or nominated for election to a position of authority or honour or selection for a job, promotion, etc
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a person taking an examination or test
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a person or thing regarded as suitable or likely for a particular fate or position
this wine is a candidate for his cellar
Usage
What does candidate mean? Candidate most commonly means someone who’s seeking to be elected, hired, or appointed to a position, especially a political office or job.The word candidate most commonly refers to a politician seeking election or a person who has applied for a job. But it can be used in several other ways to refer to someone or something under consideration for some kind of treatment or status.Example: We have more than 100 applicants, but almost none of them are qualified candidates for this job.
Other Word Forms
- candidacy noun
- precandidature noun
Etymology
Origin of candidate
First recorded in 1605–15, candidate is from the Latin word candidātus “clothed in white” (adective), “candidate for office” (noun, in reference to the white togas worn by those seeking office); candid, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Previous work has shown that the hardy microbe can withstand radiation and desiccation, making it a candidate for interplanetary survival.
From Science Daily
Under California’s top-two primary system, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the June primary advance to the November general election, regardless of party.
From Los Angeles Times
Zainab Iftikhar, a Ph.D. candidate in computer science at Brown who led the study, set out to examine whether carefully worded prompts could guide AI systems to behave more ethically in mental health settings.
From Science Daily
"I think they could go home almost at any time and declare this a success," said Kroenig, a former advisor to the Pentagon and to Republican candidates.
From Barron's
Independent polling has painted an inconclusive picture about which Democratic candidate would be more competitive in November.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
