as in contender
one who strives for the same thing as another
the third-party challenger in the presidential election
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of challenger
In his most recent outing, Kape knocked out former UFC flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval in December.
—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
The mayor has used his political capital instead to back challengers who, by definition, can deliver less federal funding.
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Bradley Tusk,
New York Daily News,
20 June 2026
The Democratic race was especially close, with the top four challengers within a few percentage points of each other.
—
ABC News,
19 June 2026
Voters in the once-reliable Labor stronghold of Makerfield handed Burnham nearly 55% of the vote, rebuking both Starmer’s faltering government and surging right-wing challenger Reform UK.
—
Kwiyeon Ha,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
The challenger presented the official match contract to him unsigned.
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Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora issued a critical statement, saying Lamont’s plan, announced through his campaign, is a response to his progressive Democratic challenger, Josh Elliott.
—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
19 June 2026
In the 36th Assembly District, GOP Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez received just over 44% of the vote against a field of Democratic challengers.
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Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
19 June 2026
With Rick Jackson’s dark-horse GOP gubernatorial nod, Democratic challenger and former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is in for a very different campaign fight.
—
Aj Willingham,
AJC.com,
18 June 2026
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
The mayor has used his political capital instead to back challengers who, by definition, can deliver less federal funding.
—
Bradley Tusk,
New York Daily News,
20 June 2026
The Democratic race was especially close, with the top four challengers within a few percentage points of each other.
—
ABC News,
19 June 2026
Voters in the once-reliable Labor stronghold of Makerfield handed Burnham nearly 55% of the vote, rebuking both Starmer’s faltering government and surging right-wing challenger Reform UK.
—
Kwiyeon Ha,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
The challenger presented the official match contract to him unsigned.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora issued a critical statement, saying Lamont’s plan, announced through his campaign, is a response to his progressive Democratic challenger, Josh Elliott.
—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
19 June 2026
In the 36th Assembly District, GOP Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez received just over 44% of the vote against a field of Democratic challengers.
—
Sal Rodriguez,
Oc Register,
19 June 2026
With Rick Jackson’s dark-horse GOP gubernatorial nod, Democratic challenger and former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is in for a very different campaign fight.
—
Aj Willingham,
AJC.com,
18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challenger
Noun
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Anthony Elanga puts up a contender for the goal of the tournament with a rocket from the corner of the box into the left side of the net to bring this one back even at one goal apiece in the 62nd minute.
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Matthew Brewer, previously the CHA’s interim CEO and board chair, declared his candidacy in the 2027 mayoral race, the latest addition to a widening pool of contenders.
Noun
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Instead, another contestant was named the winner.
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First performed as an Edinburgh Fringe one-off, where contestants included a bunch of Horne’s comedian friends, Taskmaster has grown into a genuine phenomenon.
Noun
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Turning to larger athletic shoe players, prospects are mixed as smaller competitors inch ahead.
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While art remains the primary business for Sotheby’s and its competitors, sports memorabilia and other collectibles have quickly become important categories as the major houses work to broaden their collector bases.
Noun
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But Republican rival Steve Hilton slammed the group for political opportunism.
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The idea is that even rivals can find common ground over a beverage.
Cite this Entry
“Challenger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challenger. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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