Meaning & use
nominate
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Meaning
verbtransitive
To formally suggest someone as a candidate for a position, award, or honor.
Grammar: Takes an object: nominate someone. Often followed by 'for' or 'as': nominate her for the prize, nominate him as chairman.
Patterns
- nominate someone for something
- nominate someone as something
- nominate someone to do something
The committee nominated her for the Nobel Peace Prize.
He was nominated as the new director of the company.
I nominate Sarah to represent our team at the conference.
Word forms
| third person singular | nominates |
|---|---|
| past tense | nominated |
| past participle | nominated |
| -ing form | nominating |
Common combinations
- nominate someone for an award
- The film was nominated for an Academy Award.
- nominate someone as a candidate
- The party nominated him as a candidate for mayor.
- nominate someone to a position
- She was nominated to the board of directors.
- nominate a successor
- The retiring CEO nominated his successor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- propose
- Propose is more general; you can propose an idea, while nominate is specifically for people as candidates.
- suggest
- Suggest is less formal and can be used for ideas or people, but nominate implies a formal process.
- put forward
- Put forward is similar but often used in British English and can be less formal.
Opposites
Word family
- nomination noun
- The act of formally suggesting someone for a position or award.
- nominee noun
- A person who has been nominated.
- nominative adjective
- Relating to the subject of a verb, in grammar.
Commonly confused: nominate or nominate vs. dominate?
nominate vs nominate vs. dominate
Nominate means to suggest someone for a position; dominate means to control or have power over. They sound somewhat similar but are unrelated.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'nominate' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Nominate' is transitive and needs an object: nominate someone. 'Nominated herself' is correct. The other options lack a direct object or use the wrong preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nominate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.