as in contender
one who strives for the same thing as another
the third-party challenger in the presidential election
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Recent Examples of challenger
The 39-0 Gutierrez, has won two straight state titles, but will face a tough challenger in Dean, just a freshman.
—
Nate Peterson, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Season 42 continues on Thursday with Andrew He returning as champion to face two new challengers.
—Usa Today Staff, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
Miranda Hernández, an aide to Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, is a strong challenger.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
His Democratic challenger, Phil Angelides, sought equal time.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
As the prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket dominate the attention of investors and regulators, a sports-focused challenger called Novig is announcing $75 million in fresh funding to compete with the twin giants.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
In his stead, the Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Amador county Republican central committees all endorsed challenger Jim Shoemaker to represent the state’s ninth district in 2026.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 17 Feb. 2026
Orbán’s main challenger in the April 12 vote, Péter Magyar of the center-right Tisza party, launched his campaign to unseat his former ally on Sunday, pledging to fight corruption and restore Hungary’s alignment toward Western Europe.
—Peter Weber, TheWeek, 17 Feb. 2026
Both are still considered Tinubu’s strongest challengers going into 2027.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Nate Peterson, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
Season 42 continues on Thursday with Andrew He returning as champion to face two new challengers.
—Usa Today Staff, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
Miranda Hernández, an aide to Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, is a strong challenger.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
His Democratic challenger, Phil Angelides, sought equal time.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
As the prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket dominate the attention of investors and regulators, a sports-focused challenger called Novig is announcing $75 million in fresh funding to compete with the twin giants.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
In his stead, the Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Amador county Republican central committees all endorsed challenger Jim Shoemaker to represent the state’s ninth district in 2026.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 17 Feb. 2026
Orbán’s main challenger in the April 12 vote, Péter Magyar of the center-right Tisza party, launched his campaign to unseat his former ally on Sunday, pledging to fight corruption and restore Hungary’s alignment toward Western Europe.
—Peter Weber, TheWeek, 17 Feb. 2026
Both are still considered Tinubu’s strongest challengers going into 2027.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challenger
Noun
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Meanwhile, some Democratic contenders for president and lesser offices are making artificial intelligence regulation key parts of their platforms — because voters do actually care about the issue.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
In a follow-up phone interview, Hueffmeier framed himself as a serious contender for the seat.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In mixed teams, male and female athletes compete together, with each country fielding three contestants.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
21 Feb. 2026
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In a new interview, the model and reality TV personality reflects on the often-meme'd moment from 2010's cycle 14, which saw Tyra Banks' cast of model hopefuls dodge the menacing pendulums that wobbled back and forth as contestants navigated the runway.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In a telling moment, the Indian prime minister posed on stage with the biggest names — and competitors — in AI, including the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic, who refused to link hands for a photo op.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
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Yet observers quickly noticed that Altman and Amodei, whose companies are widely viewed as competitors in the race to build advanced AI models, did not clasp hands.—
The AI Insider,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Harvard-Westlake built a 10-point halftime lead but had to hold on against Mission League rival Crespi at home, 49-46.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Hard-liners may have worried that a deal would change the balance of factional forces inside the regime, and so sought to shore up their internal position by arresting their rivals.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Challenger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challenger. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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