contender

noun

con·​tend·​er kən-ˈten-dər 

: one that contends

especially : a competitor for a championship or high honor

a heavyweight title contender

the leading presidential contenders

Synonyms of contender

• candidate

Examples of contender in a Sentence

There are several contestants, but only two real contenders.

This latest defeat means that she's no longer a contender for the world title.

Recent Examples on the Web

The eggs mayo, spiked with Maggi and jeweled with trout roe, is a contender for best egg dish in town. —Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026

Laurel won’t have a Triple Crown contender to offset losses. —Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2026

The pair will be in Cannes this year scouting for potential investments and also as the executive producers of Cannes Palme d’Or contenders Parallel Tales by Asghar Farhadi and All of a Sudden by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 May 2026

The SpaceX contender is a lunar lander version of its Starship upper-stage rocket, which has yet to reach Earth orbit. —Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 11 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

contend + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for contender

• bartender
• defender
• engender
• extender
• offender
• pretender
• provender
• surrender
• suspender
• transgender
• bender
• blender