nominate
verb
nom·i·nate
ˈnä-mə-ˌnāt 
nominated; nominating
1
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
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
Lyonne received widespread acclaim for the role, nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.
—
Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
To determine the South’s top small towns to visit, travel experts nominated regional destinations with fewer than 25,000 residents.
—Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement The blistering Fourth Circuit opinion was penned by Chief Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, an 80-year-old conservative jurist nominated to the court in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan and who was on President George W. Bush’s shortlist of potential Supreme Court nominees.
—Time Staff, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
Star Natasha Rothwell reprised the role she had already been nominated for after the first season, so voters might include her on their ballot.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nominate
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Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
To determine the South’s top small towns to visit, travel experts nominated regional destinations with fewer than 25,000 residents.
—Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement The blistering Fourth Circuit opinion was penned by Chief Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, an 80-year-old conservative jurist nominated to the court in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan and who was on President George W. Bush’s shortlist of potential Supreme Court nominees.
—Time Staff, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
Star Natasha Rothwell reprised the role she had already been nominated for after the first season, so voters might include her on their ballot.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nominate
Cite this Entry
“Nominate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nominate. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nominate
verb
nom·i·nate
ˈnäm-ə-ˌnāt
nominated; nominating
: to choose as a candidate for election, appointment, or honor
especially
: to propose for office
nominated a senator for president
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
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
U.S. Constitution art. II2
: to propose as a candidate for election to office
Etymology
Latin nominatus, past participle of nominare to call by name, from nomin-, nomen name
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