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
Sand is considered the front-runner in a Democratic primary, which is likely to consist of additional challengers with an incumbent like Reynolds out of the picture.
—
Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2025
Brown faces several primary challengers this year.
—Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2025
Arizona-Utah local president Amanda Melby undoubtedly won her race, also against two challengers, with 120 votes (nearly 70% support).
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
Instead, anticipate ecosystems where incumbents, challengers, and new entrants continuously reshape the field through competition, consolidation, and reinvention.
—Bessemer Venture Partners, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The incumbents, David Miller and Jose Luis Pacheco, are each facing two challengers in their respective races for to retain a seat on the Board of Administration.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The Rams’ defense is young and improving, too, and Los Angeles still has the potentially to be one of Philadelphia’s toughest challengers in the National Football Conference.
—David Wilson, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
Blackdovfx | Istock | Getty Images Chinese semiconductor firm Cambricon posted record profit in the first half of the year underscoring how local challengers to Nvidia are gaining traction as Beijing looks to boost its domestic industry.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
Cars being fielded in 2026 will be very different from the current ground effect era challengers.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2025
Brown faces several primary challengers this year.
—Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2025
Arizona-Utah local president Amanda Melby undoubtedly won her race, also against two challengers, with 120 votes (nearly 70% support).
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
Instead, anticipate ecosystems where incumbents, challengers, and new entrants continuously reshape the field through competition, consolidation, and reinvention.
—Bessemer Venture Partners, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The incumbents, David Miller and Jose Luis Pacheco, are each facing two challengers in their respective races for to retain a seat on the Board of Administration.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The Rams’ defense is young and improving, too, and Los Angeles still has the potentially to be one of Philadelphia’s toughest challengers in the National Football Conference.
—David Wilson, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
Blackdovfx | Istock | Getty Images Chinese semiconductor firm Cambricon posted record profit in the first half of the year underscoring how local challengers to Nvidia are gaining traction as Beijing looks to boost its domestic industry.
—Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
Cars being fielded in 2026 will be very different from the current ground effect era challengers.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for challengers
Noun
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In the case of merchant AI chips, that's Nvidia thanks in large part to a massive software ecosystem that serves as a competitive moat against other competitors like AMD.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
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The company was losing bids because their competitors weren’t including that low-value, unwanted work in their quotes.—
Adam Coffey,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Two great offenses, two really strong defenses, past two league MVPs in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, and two top-tier Super Bowl contenders in a rematch of last year’s divsional playoff game won by the Bills, 27-25, in snowy Buffalo.—
Greg Cote
September 4,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
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Philly is likely to put together another terrific year but there are an ample number of contenders for their championship.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Rachel Reilly is a positive for this summer mainstay (or any reality competition in need of outspoken and controversial contestants).—
Marc Berman,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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In 2024, the competition was delayed a week after one of the contestants was fatally mauled by a rival bear with the attack seen on the live webcams.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Rate-cut expectations and worries over the Fed’s independence have weighed on the US dollar, which is languishing near a more than one-month low against its rivals, making gold less expensive for overseas buyers.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
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The price drop may induce its rivals, who have run into some of the same pricing issues, to follow.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Challengers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/challengers. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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