as in competitors
one who strives for the same thing as another
the third-party challenger in the presidential election
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Recent Examples of challengers
Johnson’s Spurs upped their win total by 28 games and are viewed as the top Western Conference challengers to defending champion Oklahoma City.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
Season 42 continues on Friday with Jamie Ding returning as champion to face two new challengers.
—Usa Today Staff, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
The forum included incumbent Councilmember Henry Foster, who lives in Valencia Park and won a special election for the seat in 2024, along with challengers Martha Abraham, a nurse from Emerald Hills, and Johnnie Lee Dang, a community organizer from Ridgeview.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Both men are competing for seats that are expected to remain in Republicans’ hands, but Trump’s backing reflects a preference for the establishment candidates in races where other challengers are positioning themselves as conservative outsiders.
—Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Baggs won the Republican primary against two challengers in March.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2026
Bart claims to have recovered more than a billion dollars for his clients, but downstream of him are scores of challengers angling to catch some of that action for themselves.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
That means challengers must win decisively to overcome them.
—Nick Spicer, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
Five candidates ran for three seats up for election on the board with a three-year term, including incumbent Rebeca Swank and challengers Allison Johnston, Joseph Frego, Ken Horrell and Joseph Donohue.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
Season 42 continues on Friday with Jamie Ding returning as champion to face two new challengers.
—Usa Today Staff, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
The forum included incumbent Councilmember Henry Foster, who lives in Valencia Park and won a special election for the seat in 2024, along with challengers Martha Abraham, a nurse from Emerald Hills, and Johnnie Lee Dang, a community organizer from Ridgeview.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Both men are competing for seats that are expected to remain in Republicans’ hands, but Trump’s backing reflects a preference for the establishment candidates in races where other challengers are positioning themselves as conservative outsiders.
—Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Baggs won the Republican primary against two challengers in March.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2026
Bart claims to have recovered more than a billion dollars for his clients, but downstream of him are scores of challengers angling to catch some of that action for themselves.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
That means challengers must win decisively to overcome them.
—Nick Spicer, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
Five candidates ran for three seats up for election on the board with a three-year term, including incumbent Rebeca Swank and challengers Allison Johnston, Joseph Frego, Ken Horrell and Joseph Donohue.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challengers
Noun
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Reigns tossed Punk from the announce table onto the ground as the referee begged for both competitors to get back into the ring.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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In 2025 many mechanical competitors overheated and fell.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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As the Spurs push to win it all, showing the supporting cast is still a playoff-level team is a good sign for the Spurs’ status as true title contenders.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, the race’s overall front-runner, dismissed the Democratic contenders seeking Newsom’s seal of approval as misguided and a waste of time.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But contestants won’t be doing any relaxing.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Apr. 2026
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Reina Friedman Watts, who appears in the documentary as one of the former producers on The Jerry Springer Show, admits that background checks were not performed on contestants.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But critics note Angola still has deep problems with corruption and have questioned if Lourenco’s actions were more aimed at political rivals so as to consolidate his power.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2026
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This year's playoff matchup between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will be the eighth time in history that the cross-state rivals meet in the postseason.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Challengers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challengers. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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