as in candidates
one who seeks an office, honor, position, or award
a debate between the two aspirants for the highest office
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Recent Examples of aspirants
For example, take a gander at the aspirants lining up to run for Chicago mayor in 2027 (or at least the ones who are looking to be boldface names).
—
Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Despite many aspirants and imitators, there really hasn’t been anything like it since.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, both incumbent members of Congress and aspirants will be running in districts that have been radically gerrymandered to shrink Republicans’ tiny delegation even more, as Democrats seek to regain control of Congress.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
Presidential aspirants trashed Senate Democrats who crossed the aisle to support the measure.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
There are also seven private villas—airy, palatial, ideal for families or James Bond aspirants—along with an expansion set to be unveiled in 2026.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Both men reflect a cohort of youthful African aspirants aiming to ride popular disenchantments with governments to high office.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Intoxicated by the attention—and the presence of the wannabe tragedienne Gloria (a sinuous, Kurt Weill–crooning Greta Lee)—Saxberger nevertheless must reckon with the authenticity of this newfound circle of aspirants.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
But once Abbas leaves office, the competition among the three men—and any other aspirants—could potentially turn violent.
—Grant Rumley, Foreign Affairs, 9 Mar. 2017
Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Despite many aspirants and imitators, there really hasn’t been anything like it since.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, both incumbent members of Congress and aspirants will be running in districts that have been radically gerrymandered to shrink Republicans’ tiny delegation even more, as Democrats seek to regain control of Congress.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
Presidential aspirants trashed Senate Democrats who crossed the aisle to support the measure.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
There are also seven private villas—airy, palatial, ideal for families or James Bond aspirants—along with an expansion set to be unveiled in 2026.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Both men reflect a cohort of youthful African aspirants aiming to ride popular disenchantments with governments to high office.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Intoxicated by the attention—and the presence of the wannabe tragedienne Gloria (a sinuous, Kurt Weill–crooning Greta Lee)—Saxberger nevertheless must reckon with the authenticity of this newfound circle of aspirants.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
But once Abbas leaves office, the competition among the three men—and any other aspirants—could potentially turn violent.
—Grant Rumley, Foreign Affairs, 9 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aspirants
Noun
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Rather, they are required to provide such opportunities if legally qualified opposing candidates request it.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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Justice Democrats said its candidates will not take corporate PAC money or money from American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the crypto lobby or the artificial intelligence lobby.—
Beatrice Peterson,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Officials in law enforcement have said the number of police applicants looking to join a police force never quite rebounded since unrest around the nation led to protests and demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
17 Feb. 2026
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Several policy priorities followed from Miller’s long-standing fixations, such as denying immigrants work authorization while their legal cases were pending and penalizing applicants who used public benefits.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In an era of annual roster churn, predicting in the offseason which teams will go on to be true contenders is particularly difficult.—
Molly Geary,
Sportico.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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After gold medal favorite Finley Melville Ives crashed out of contention, the top American contenders, rather sensibly, backed off in their second runs in men's freeski halfpipe qualifying.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aspirants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aspirants. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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