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

• 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

Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns are heading into the 2025 college football season as one of the top contenders in the nation. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025

One common thread that's already uniting a number of this year's Hymer and Knaus contenders is the transformable bathroom, which bridges the gap between wet and dry RV bathroom layouts. —New Atlas, 19 July 2025

Scott is a top-tier contender in lead drama actor, with co-stars Tramell Tillman and John Turturro able to take down any of their competition. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 18 July 2025

But, as the original lineup of Pizza Poll contenders showed, Il Bosco isn't the only great pizzeria in town. —Endia Fontanez, AZCentral.com, 18 July 2025

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