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

On the crowded Republican side, where there are 20-odd contenders, there’s been little fundraising by independent expenditure committees so far. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026

There’s also a high-ranking Chesapeake Bay retriever, a prominent papillon and many other buzzy contenders. —Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2026

In his second year, Mike Macdonald has helped build a team that has the look of a perennial contender as well as a favorite to win the second Super Bowl championship in club history. —Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2026

Newsom is the Democrats’ current lead contender for a Theory 2 approach—the preferred path of the Party establishment, and, not surprisingly, one around which structures and funding channels have already begun to form. —Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 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