finalist

noun

fi·​nal·​ist ˈfī-nə-list 

: 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

This format should encourage participation from top players in both singles and doubles, though maybe not the Wimbledon finalists. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Pohlkamp won a national title at Denver and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist, and Hajek has been a professional for eight seasons. — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 24 July 2026

Any one of these finalists could do the job, but none are 100 percent ideal. — Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

The local architecture firm was one of the finalists alongside Populous, another local architecture firm. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

final entry 1 + -ist entry 1

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

finalist

noun

fi·​nal·​ist ˈfīn-ᵊl-əst 

: a contestant in the finals of a competition