running mate

noun

1

: companion

2

: a horse entered in a race to set the pace for a horse of the same owner or stable

3

: a candidate running for a subordinate place on a ticket

especially : the candidate for vice president

Synonyms

• associate
• cohort
• companion
• compatriot
• compeer
• comrade
• crony
• fellow
• hobnobber
• mate

Examples of running mate in a Sentence

When John F. Kennedy ran for president, his running mate was Lyndon Johnson.

inseparable running mates who first met when they were in elementary school

Recent Examples on the Web

Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have embraced anti-trans rhetoric on the campaign trail, and during the Republican National Convention in July, at least a dozen speakers mentioned gender or sexuality negatively in their speeches, according to an NBC News analysis. —Jo Yurcaba, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024

The Republican Party of Kentucky wasted no time congratulating Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. —Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2024

Ohio received outsized attention this fall after Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, amplified false claims about Haitian migrants living in Springfield. —Abc News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024

Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, come from two different Americas. —Kyle Khan-Mullins, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

running mate

noun

: a candidate running for a lesser office (as vice president) who is on the same ticket with the candidate for the top office