challenger

noun

Definition of challengernext
as in contender
one who strives for the same thing as another the third-party challenger in the presidential election

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of challenger College sports’ current arms race of money, along with unrestricted transfers, is threatening to shut out rising challengers like UConn football, with rich teams now dangling lucrative offers and raiding talent like never before. — U.s. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026 David Roth, the Democratic candidate for Risch’s seat, dropped out of the race in July, leaving Achilles as Risch’s primary challenger. — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 24 Aug. 2026 That national mood is something Republican challengers will have to combat, DeSantis said. — Shauna Muckle, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026 Villarreal finished third last season, just ahead of Atletico, the perennial challenger to Barcelona and Real Madrid. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026 Equality Florida, a statewide LGBTQ civil rights group, spent $250,000 statewide to send mailers to on behalf of school board candidates facing Moms for Liberty challengers, including the winning slate in Orange and Sarasota counties. — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026 The contest generated heated discussion on social media and attracted national media attention, including invitations for the challengers to appear on cable TV shows and streaming platforms. — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026 TikTok has created a significant opportunity for challenger brands to grow. — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026 This time, the challenger offered concrete answers instead of word salads. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challenger
  1. contender
  2. contestant
  3. competitor
  4. rival
Noun
  • The Wildcats have fallen from annual championship contenders to regular first-round playoff exits.
    — Jack Leo, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The trio gives Fort Worth-area football fans what should be a trio of contenders and a ton of high-stakes playoff matchups within a reasonable distance.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of contender
Noun
  • Instead, contestants compete for crowd reaction and are rewarded with attention and, in some cases, small cash prizes.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The rules of Stein Hoist are typically that the arm stays fully extended, the contestant cannot switch hands, and any spillage is grounds for immediate disqualification.
    — Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of contestant
Noun
  • But Patel observed that many of the robotic competitors were still being teleoperated by human operators who directly controlled the robots’ actions.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2026
  • That is 35 films the two studios are already planning as independent competitors before any merger occurs.
    — Joseph M. Singer, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of competitor
Noun
  • Apple Music plans to tell you when a song is AI-generated by adding a new label next to tracks, using a different disclosure method than its biggest streaming rival, Spotify.
    — James Peckham, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, the two rivals separately offered a preview of their pitches to win over both urban Kansas City and rural Pettis County.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of rival

Browse Nearby Words

challenged
challenger
challengers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Challenger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challenger. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All