- 1 candidate (for something) a person who is trying to be elected or is applying for a job one of the leading candidates for the presidency a presidential candidate (British English) He stood as a candidate in the local elections. There were a large number of candidates for the job. The party intends to field a candidate in the next general election. Wordfinderapplyapply, appoint, candidate, CV, experience, interview, job description, qualification, reference, shortlist Wordfinderdemocracycandidate, constituency, contest, democracy, election, majority, manifesto, poll, referendum, swing vote CollocationsVoting in electionsRunning for election conduct/hold an election/a referendum (especially North American English) run for office/election/governor/mayor/president/the White House (especially British English) stand for election/office/Parliament/the Labour Party/a second term hold/call/contest a general/national election launch/run a presidential election campaign support/back a candidate sway/convince/persuade voters/the electorate appeal to/attract/woo/target (North American English) swing voters/(British English) floating voters fix/rig/steal an election/the voteVoting go to/be turned away from (especially British English) a polling station/(North American English) a polling place cast a/your vote/ballot (for somebody) vote for the Conservative candidate/the Democratic party mark/spoil your ballot paper count (British English) the postal votes/(especially North American English) the absentee ballots go to/be defeated at the ballot box get/win/receive/lose votes get/win (60% of) the popular/black/Hispanic/Latino/Muslim vote win the election/(in the US) the primaries/a seat in Parliament/a majority/power lose an election/the vote/your majority/your seat win/come to power in a landslide (victory) (= with many more votes than any other party) elect/re-elect somebody (as) mayor/president/an MP/senator/congressman/congresswomanTaking power be sworn into office/in as president take/administer (in the US) the oath of office swear/take (in the UK) an/the oath of allegiance give/deliver (in the US) the president’s inaugural address take/enter/hold/leave office appoint somebody (as) ambassador/governor/judge/minister form a government/a cabinet serve two terms as prime minister/in office economy, politics Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivepotential, prospective, likely, … verb + candidateput yourself forward as, stand as, field, … prepositioncandidate for See full entry See related entries: Job interviews
- 2 (British English) a person taking an exam Candidates are allowed to use dictionaries in this examination. a candidate for the degree of MPhil Wordfinderexamcandidate, exam, grade, invigilate, mark, oral, paper, practical, resit, revise Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivepotential, prospective, likely, … verb + candidateput yourself forward as, stand as, field, … prepositioncandidate for See full entry See related entries: Exams and assessment
- 3candidate (for something) a person or group that is considered suitable for something or that is likely to get something or to be something Our team is a prime candidate for relegation this year. Your father is an obvious candidate for a heart attack. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivepotential, prospective, likely, … verb + candidateput yourself forward as, stand as, field, … prepositioncandidate for See full entry Word Originearly 17th cent.: from Latin candidatus ‘white-robed’, also denoting a candidate for office (who traditionally wore a white toga), from candidus ‘white’.Extra examples Our organization is putting up five candidates in the elections. Prospective parliamentary candidates met party leaders last week. She decided to stand as a candidate in the local elections. She was the only candidate for the post. She’s a likely candidate for promotion. The committee will select the best candidate for the job. The successful candidate will be fluent in French and German. There were no suitable candidates for the position. This is a prime candidate for best movie of the year. We rejected most of the candidates as unsuitable. We run special revision courses for examination candidates.
noun jump to other results
BrE BrE//ˈkændɪdət//; NAmE NAmE//ˈkændɪdət//; BrE BrE//ˈkændɪdeɪt//; NAmE NAmE//ˈkændɪdeɪt//
Exams and assessment, Job interviewsCheck pronunciation: candidate
