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
Another challenger, OneWeb, is operated by France's Eutelsat and has a constellation of more than 600 satellites.
—
Annie Palmer, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2026
Starbucks has other challengers, like the fast-growing drive-thru chains 7 Brew, Scooter’s Coffee and Dutch Bros.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Levine Cava was reelected in 2024 by a wide margin over a mostly Republican field of challengers.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
With Jokić’s return almost imminent and the newfound depth around him, the Nuggets should have every opportunity to be the chief challenger to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference, though another Aaron Gordon hamstring injury is a tough blow.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Between the Good and Pretti shootings, GOP operatives had been hammering how Democratic incumbents and challengers in competitive 2026 midterm races were embracing anti-ICE positions, which echoed those previous calls to throttle the agency.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Raw’s current Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer, who’s likely going to be holding that title come WrestleMania, needs a capable and proven challenger.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Opinion polls from late December showed support for his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at around 70%, with its nearest challengers, the main Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, at 19%.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Majeed, like Cunningham, faces multiple challengers after siding with Republicans on a veto override vote.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 27 Jan. 2026
Annie Palmer, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2026
Starbucks has other challengers, like the fast-growing drive-thru chains 7 Brew, Scooter’s Coffee and Dutch Bros.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Levine Cava was reelected in 2024 by a wide margin over a mostly Republican field of challengers.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
With Jokić’s return almost imminent and the newfound depth around him, the Nuggets should have every opportunity to be the chief challenger to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference, though another Aaron Gordon hamstring injury is a tough blow.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Between the Good and Pretti shootings, GOP operatives had been hammering how Democratic incumbents and challengers in competitive 2026 midterm races were embracing anti-ICE positions, which echoed those previous calls to throttle the agency.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Raw’s current Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer, who’s likely going to be holding that title come WrestleMania, needs a capable and proven challenger.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Opinion polls from late December showed support for his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at around 70%, with its nearest challengers, the main Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, at 19%.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Majeed, like Cunningham, faces multiple challengers after siding with Republicans on a veto override vote.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challenger
Noun
-
Hunt is one of three female frontrunners, with former BBC content boss Charlotte Moore, and ex-Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon, also considered to be serious contenders.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Alysa Liu, returning to the Olympics after a brief retirement, is a gold medal contender at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in women’s figure skating.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
His wife, Dancing With the Stars contestant Hilaria Baldwin, posted a TikTok of Baldwin and O’Hara on the set of the 1988 film.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The menu goes beyond basic survival food and leans into the show's reward challenges, giving fans a literal taste of what contestants eat in Fiji.—
Tania Francois,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Chinese competitors like DeepSeek have demonstrated that technical capabilities can be matched quickly.—
Steven Wolfe Pereira,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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What denied her entry to the Milan-Cortina Olympics was her final qualification event in the North American Cup earlier this month at Lake Placid, where several Canadian competitors were withdrawn at the last minute.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Leo's primary rival is SpaceX's Starlink, which has more than 9,000 satellites in orbit and roughly 9 million customers.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Bombardier and Gulfstream are head-to-head rivals, with the Global series battling for market share against Gulfstream’s latest models.—
Michelle L. Price,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Challenger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challenger. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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