1
as in candidate
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
a strong contender for the mayoral position
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
With him on the roster, Los Angeles is going to be a contender.
—
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
The defeat dropped Colorado to 12-54 overall as the Rockies remain on cruise control to surpass the White Sox’s modern record of 121 losses, and blew a chance for a marquee win over National League West contender San Francisco in the process.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 11 June 2025
New York could even use assets acquired from a potential Magic trade to help sweeten the offer to Milwaukee — positioning themselves to chase Giannis while building a new version of a contender around him.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 June 2025
Now that Edmonton’s non-superstars are finally winning their minutes, the Oilers are a contender.
—Murat Ates, New York Times, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for contender
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
The defeat dropped Colorado to 12-54 overall as the Rockies remain on cruise control to surpass the White Sox’s modern record of 121 losses, and blew a chance for a marquee win over National League West contender San Francisco in the process.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 11 June 2025
New York could even use assets acquired from a potential Magic trade to help sweeten the offer to Milwaukee — positioning themselves to chase Giannis while building a new version of a contender around him.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 June 2025
Now that Edmonton’s non-superstars are finally winning their minutes, the Oilers are a contender.
—Murat Ates, New York Times, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for contender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contender
Noun
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In 11 of the last 12 elections, the candidate who won the Virginia governorship was from the opposition party of the president who had been elected to the White House a year earlier.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
-
Sitting presidents typically report earnings from the prior year, while candidates provide figures up to the date of their filing.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Conversely, organizations that continue transformative efforts during challenging periods can develop resilience, agility and the capacity to capitalize on emerging opportunities faster than their competitors.—
Andrea Guerzoni,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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Meta says more than a billion people use its AI products each month, but it’s also widely seen as lagging behind competitors such as OpenAI and Google in encouraging consumer use of large language models, also known as LLMs.—
Matt O’Brien,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
Noun
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After all, one of the show's guiltiest pleasures is searching each contestant's face during the reveal to suss out their true feelings.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
13 June 2025
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The contestants competed in opening number, essay, evening gown, onstage Q&A and personal interview categories, according to a press release.—
Talia McWright,
Twin Cities,
13 June 2025
Noun
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After beginning the year as the most valuable company in the world, Apple now ranks third behind longtime rival Microsoft, another AI leader, and AI chipmaker Nvidia.—
Michael Liedtke,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
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The Royals entered the three-game series having won 10 consecutive games against their American League Central rivals.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contender. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
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