1
as in candidate
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
a strong contender for the mayoral position
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in competitor
one who strives for the same thing as another
several contenders competing for the title of the city's best Italian restaurant
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contender
Shifts in voter sentiment, unexpected political events and each contender’s capacity to unite or expand the Democratic base will likely determine who ultimately secures the nomination.
—
Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
Norway has already selected it as its official Oscar entry, and is considered a strong contender in a number of other categories, particularly in the acting categories.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
Fierceness wasn’t the only top contender to have poor luck at the draw.
—Jay Posner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
Los Angeles does not face the other three top NFC contenders in November.
—Scott Phillips, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contender
Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
Norway has already selected it as its official Oscar entry, and is considered a strong contender in a number of other categories, particularly in the acting categories.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
Fierceness wasn’t the only top contender to have poor luck at the draw.
—Jay Posner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
Los Angeles does not face the other three top NFC contenders in November.
—Scott Phillips, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender
Noun
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Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani has been declared the next mayor of New York City, according to NBC News and CNN.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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In exchange for Lee burying the Indian Head Hills land-deal story — which, on paper, looked like a candidate taking a bribe from Trip and the Nazis — Donald agrees to give up the land.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Hug beat his closest competitor, Great Britain’s David Weir, by nearly four minutes.—
Bette Canter,
Sportico.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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The first iteration of the New York City Marathon had 55 finishers, while the 2024 race had 55,642 competitors cross the finish line.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The moment played out on Season 3 of The Traitors, when Sandoval and the other contestants braved a creepy cabin full of singing dolls and had to memorize and perform backwards nursery rhymes.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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With a crown on her head, a crisp blue suit on her shoulders, and a giant clock around her neck, Hall tasked a man with choosing the best cake-decorating woman among a trio of contestants.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Once a manufacturing subcontractor of South Korean companies, China has now become their global rival in key industries like EV and electronics.—
Se Eun Gong,
NPR,
2 Nov. 2025
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Florida had a shot at a program-defining win against the rival that tormented it the most.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In District 71, Republican incumbent Amanda Batten, who has represented the area since 2019 and is seeking her fourth full term, is running against Democratic challenger Jessica Anderson.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
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Protests broke out in commercial capital Dar es Salaam and other cities during the vote on Wednesday over the exclusion of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s two biggest challengers from the presidential race, as well as what demonstrators say is increasing government repression.—
Reuters 10 hr ago,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contender. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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