contender

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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

See contender defined for English-language learners

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 of contender from the Web

Terry Bowden has plenty to do this week, getting his Akron football team ready to open its season at playoff contender Penn State.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "Tide and Tiger podcast: Terry Bowden on Jimbo Fisher, Auburn and more," 29 Aug. 2017
And, true to her, ahem, reputation, the 2017 MTV VMAs were no different: Perry wore nine ensembles total, all of which were appropriately OTT and formidable contenders for a spot among the most memorable outfits in the award show's history.

— halie lesavage, Glamour, "Every Single One of Katy Perry's VMAs 2017 Outfit Changes," 27 Aug. 2017
But if any company is going to figure out how to pull that off, Amazon would certainly be a contender.

— joe pinsker, The Atlantic, "Why Amazon Is Such a Threat to the Grocery Industry," 25 Aug. 2017
Banks, who qualified for the title match after No.1 contender Bayley was injured, beat Alexa Bliss.

— jim varsallone, miamiherald, "New queens crowned; Neville, Usos regain titles at WWE SummerSlam," 20 Aug. 2017
Long before the Boston Red Sox became one of baseball's perennial contenders, the team spent decades in the wilderness.

— luke o'neil, Esquire, "Watching a Guy Take a Heater to the Crotch is America's True National Pastime," 17 Aug. 2017
The third contender, the Fast Infrared Exoplanet Spectroscopy Survey Explorer (FINESSE), aims to probe the origins and makeup of the atmospheres around exoplanets.

— daniel clery, Science | AAAS, "Missions to probe exoplanets, galaxies, and cosmic inflation vie for $250 million NASA slot," 16 Aug. 2017
No doubt, Marist remains a contender for the Class 8A state championship.

— pat disabato, Daily Southtown, "Disabato: First day of football practice prelude to intriguing story lines," 4 Aug. 2017
Several Republican contenders tried this on health care: Bobby Jindal had the most detailed approach, but others like Marco Rubio also offered a framework.

— dan mclaughlin, National Review, "How Republicans Went Wrong on Health Care," 28 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of contender

see contend

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1547

See Words from the same year

contender Synonyms

Synonyms

applicant, applier, aspirant, campaigner, candidate, expectant, hopeful, prospect, seeker

Antonyms

noncandidate

Related Words

competitor, contestant, entrant, entry, favorite, qualifier; dark horse, spoiler, stalking horse; crown prince, favorite son; claimant, pretender; nominee, running mate

Near Antonyms

incumbent, officeholder; awardee, honoree, inductee; dropout

Other General Sports Terms

kegler, mulligan, rappel, turkey

CONTENDER Defined for English Language Learners

contender

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noun

Definition of contender for English Language Learners

: a person who tries to win something in a contest; especially : a person who has a good chance of winning

CONTENDER Defined for Kids

contender

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noun con·tend·er \ kən-ˈten-dər \

Definition of contender for Students

:a person who is in competition with others

Learn More about contender

See words that rhyme with contender Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for contender Spanish Central: Translation of contender Nglish: Translation of contender for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of contender for Arabic speakers

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Origin and Etymology of contender

contender Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other General Sports Terms

CONTENDER Defined for English Language Learners

contender

Definition of contender for English Language Learners

CONTENDER Defined for Kids

contender

Definition of contender for Students

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