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

Glasner has been suggested as a potential replacement for Ruben Amorim after United sacked him on Monday, but the Austrian batted away questions about being a contender for the job at Old Trafford. —Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026

The Patriots are a vastly different team under Vrabel – the 14-3 record is obvious evidence of that – but Harbaugh wouldn’t get into specifics about what exactly has changed them into a legitimate Super Bowl contender. —Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 6 Jan. 2026

The latest from the Iranian master earned the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and is now a major contender this awards season, representing France at the Oscars in the international feature category. —Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026

Yes, award season is underway, which means already the best dressed list is looking pretty stacked, but the latest contender comes from none other than Sabrina Carpenter via a good old photo dump on Instagram. —Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 5 Jan. 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