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.
The Selke Trophy finalist and his Lightning line did an incredible job against Suzuki’s top unit last round. Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 7 May 2026 Part of a shortlist of five finalists that included Betty Adii, Dzikra Afifah, Ipeh Nur and Mira Rizki, Suci was singled out by a jury comprising also curator Amanda Ariawan, gallerist Megan Arlin, collector Evelyn Halim and artist Melati Suryodarmo, in addition to Alemani and Lau. Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 7 May 2026 Aguda is the author of Ghostroots, a finalist for the National Book Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. ‘pemi Aguda, Literary Hub, 6 May 2026 The competition included 23 players who supplied preliminary video performances; adjudicators selected 12 finalists. Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 6 May 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 13 May. 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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