contender

noun

con·tend·er | \ kən-ˈten-dər

Definition of contender

: one that contends especially : a competitor for a championship or high honor a heavyweight title contender the leading presidential contenders

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about contender

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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

Meanwhile Vermont’s Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, enjoying his own tour of the midwest, remains a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, thanks in part to voters who don’t seem to realize their taxes were cut. — James Freeman, WSJ, "Sanders and Trump in the Midwest," 15 Apr. 2019 Once again courtesy of Reality Steve, Luke Parker is already the top contender, and at that point the show had only shot four episodes. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Who Wins the Bachelorette and Hannah Brown's Heart? Here's Everything We Know," 8 Apr. 2019 As for other contenders, in a 2005 interview with New York magazine, Marc Jacobs, then creative director of Louis Vuitton and his own collection, went on the record saying that Chanel would be the only other job that interested him. — Jessica Iredale, Town & Country, "Virginie Viard, Karl Lagerfeld's Secret Weapon, Succeeds Him at Chanel," 19 Feb. 2019 As the name of Prince Harry's late mother, Diana is a strong contender if the next royal baby is a girl. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "What Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Name Their First Baby?," 8 Apr. 2019 Resident Evil 2 released last week and is already a strong contender for end-of-year lists. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: The sordid tale of Starbreeze's stumbles, Overwatch players learn piano (with guns)," 1 Feb. 2019 Australian Jackson Strong, seven-time X Games medalist, is a top contender in the motor events, as is American Axell Hodges, six-time X Games medalist, adds Reed. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "The 2019 Winter X Games Starts This Week—Here’s What You Need to Know," 23 Jan. 2019 Black Friday bargains are hard to beat, and Labor Day is a great time to buy cheap bathing suits and other summer stuff, but Presidents' Day is a contender for great deals. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "The Best Presidents' Day Sales Will Be On Amazon This Year," 9 Jan. 2019 The state media have, in effect, placed two of the three main presidential contenders under embargo. — The Economist, "Turkey’s President Erdogan may yet be defeated," 21 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contender.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.