Definition of contender
: one that contends; especially : a competitor for a championship or high honor a heavyweight title contender the leading presidential contenders
From the M-W Editors
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
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Even with a difficult fight against a well-deserving contender looming this weekend, Aldo hasn’t been able to get far from the specter of his loss to McGregor — partly because people never stop asking him about it.
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There are two other contenders in the race, Josefina Vázquez Mota of the National Action Party (PAN) and Juan Zepeda of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD).
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A contender for the worst House of Cards episode yet.
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Today, the 21-year-old two-way phenom is a contender to go No. 1 overall in this month’s amateur draft and is likely a long-shot to slip to the Padres at No.
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Like Kennedy, Biss and another contender, Northwest Side Ald.
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Soro is seen as one of the main contenders to take over from Ouattara, who constitutionally must step down after two terms in office in 2020.
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Hunter-Reay had led 28 laps and was a strong contender late.
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Becoming a genuine contender has taken eight more years.
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
First Known Use: 1547
CONTENDER Defined for English Language Learners
contender
playDefinition of contender for English Language Learners
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: 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
playDefinition of contender for Students
: a person who is in competition with others
Learn More about contender
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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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