finalist

noun

fi·​nal·​ist ˈfī-nə-list How to pronounce finalist (audio)
Synonyms of finalistnext
: a contestant in a competition finals

Examples of finalist in a Sentence

They interviewed all of the finalists before making a decision. a finalist in the tennis tournament
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Each team nominated one player for the award, a panel of executives selected one finalist from each of the six divisions and a player vote determined the winner. Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026 Last season, the club had four players named American League Silver Slugger Award finalists. Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026 Jacobson beat out the other finalist, Tim Schochenmaier, superintendent of Central Public Schools in Norwood Young America. Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026 The Big Green Notebook loves this Jason Witten College Man of the Year finalist who started 28 games at middle linebacker for Indiana's stingy defense the last two years. Bill Jones, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for finalist

Word History

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of finalist was in 1898

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Finalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finalist. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

finalist

noun
fi·​nal·​ist ˈfīn-ᵊl-əst How to pronounce finalist (audio)
: a contestant in the finals of a competition

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